


Straight From The Reindeer's Mouth

by mhs0501



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Accidents, Character Study, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Kristoff & Ryder Being Reindeer Bros, Lack of Communication, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Missing Scene, Smut is in chapter 5, Understanding, Well kinda smut, Yep the rating is going up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 12:29:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21631660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mhs0501/pseuds/mhs0501
Summary: After Kristoff's disaster of a proposal, he's starting to wonder if he and Anna are meant to be together, and his newfound friendship with a certain shepherd who shares his love of reindeer may complicate matters. How will these two men grapple their feelings when it creates a certain gap in communication?Well... at least Sven's here to help!
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney) (mentioned), Kristoff & Ryder (Disney), Kristoff & Sven (Disney: Frozen), Kristoff/Ryder (Disney)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 345





	1. Different Paths

It was official: this proposal thing had been an absolute disaster.

Kristoff had been spending months trying to perfect the scenario in which he’d ask Anna to marry him in almost every setting and way he could imagine, and doing so in a forest clearing surrounded by reindeer was his most embarrassing attempt yet.

Especially considering he hadn’t even proposed to her. She’d already left him behind to look for her sister.

Which was fine. Of course it was fine. Over the years he’d spent in the company of the two royal sisters he’d come to appreciate their close bond. He knew Anna loved her sister more than anything in the world. Only now he was starting to wonder if he’d always come second place to his potential sister-in-law.

And so he sat on a large rock at the edge of a cliff, only a small hike from the reindeer clearing. The enchanted forest below him crackled with life, the millions of small colors shifting with the tailend of the fjord’s winds. Yelana and the rest of the rest of the Northuldrans were likely down there somewhere. After the near encounter with the earth spirits, it was deemed the best solution was to move their home to the lichen meadows near the stream.

If Kristoff had learned anything from the Northuldrans from this journey, it was to trust one’s instinct in nature. If something going on a journey was about to crush them under several tons of stone, the best course of action was to at least try and get out of their path.

“Kristoff?” He shifted his chin across his palm as he heard a familiar voice call from the edge of the clearing.

“Up here.” He half called, half mumbled from his place at the edge of the cliff.

He could hear the soft snapping of twigs and leaves underfoot growing louder as the herder climbed up to the edge. His gaze remained fixated on a particular tree out in the distance that was almost completely bare, but moved to the warm presence that had sat down next to him.

Ryder was smiling at the ice man, soft brown eyes staring right back at him.

“You know, Yelana doesn’t hold it against you. That thing that happened, I mean.”

That _thing_, where Kristoff had accidentally poured his heart out to a shadow that happened to be the elderly leader of a group of people he’d barely known? The same leader who was serious, jaded, and most likely didn’t even remember his name?

Yeah. That thing. Despite Ryder’s reassurance he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to look her in the eyes for a few weeks, at the very least.

He sighed and Ryder’s smile tightened slightly as a small chuckle escaped him. His hand slung itself over Kristoff’s shoulder, pulling him close to his side. “Look on the bright side, Kris! At least Anna wasn’t here to see it. When she gets back we can set the whole thing up again.”

“Aren’t you moving the reindeer down the mountain?” Kristoff raised an eyebrow, his tone a deadpan of someone resigned to a miserable fate. Ryder seemed unphased.

“For a fellow reindeer whisperer I’d do anything, and so will they.” He tilted his head back towards the clearing.

He sighed, readjusting his chin so it rested on both sets of calloused knuckles. “I’m not so sure I should even be bothering with all this.”

At this Ryder fell silent. Kristoff hadn’t known Ryder for very long, but silence didn’t really seem to suit the herdsman to him. Honeymaren had told him that her dreamer of a brother hadn’t been this happy and interested in communicating with anyone in a long time. The conflict between the Northuldrans and the Arendellian soldiers had always weighed him down and the group’s visit forcing a temporary truce seemed to ease that weight away. Now, she’d said, he finally had someone else here to talk to about some of his truest and purest passions. Kristoff, despite his love for Anna, certainly felt similarly about his friend.

Usually, only a tight circle of people could earn the right of a continued conversation. The number grew ever smaller with friends. Despite not knowing him for very long, Kristoff definitely cared for Ryder enough to consider him at the very least a good friend. He himself was never very good at talking with other people. Most of the time he’d have to waste precious awkward seconds trying to come up with something to say or with certain people a reason to be invested at all. Usually in the later scenarios it was a difficult customer superimposing their problems onto him and complaining about their problems with his delivery. Thankfully, Olaf was usually there to act as a therapist and in his infinite, child-like wonder would frankly ask what the problem really was. From then on Kristoff could just continue hauling in ice with only the occasional grunt because despite the snowman’s growing maturity, once he got into one of his sessions, Kristoff and even Sven were locked from the conservation until the matter was officially solved.

Communication had never really come naturally with him to anyone, even Anna. Even when they were left alone, she usually did most of the talking, which Kristoff had grown to appreciate. Despite this however there was a certain disconnect between their respective hobbies that was usually a rather dull point when it did cross their lips. Anna was sunny and vivacious, always out in the village trying to pick up new friends and skills. She’d once spent a whole day learning to make pies for the fall festival only to see a pig escape from it’s pen and tip over the entire buffet table.

Kristoff on the other hand was never one to bask in the sun or make new friends. His hobbies were usually either relegated to the categories of “Do with Sven” or “Everything else.” He enjoyed the feeling of dirt and hay between his toes, swimming in the crystal clear water of the fjords, and looking up at the stars at night with just him and his best buddy. He’d tried to take Anna on a camping date once, but despite their best efforts, she ended up messy, damp and covered in bug bites. He enjoyed whittling scraps of wood, tightening the bolts on his sleigh, making new tunes on his lute in the wee hours of the morning. Those were more of mixed bags with the princess, as he was usually too focused on his task to interact much with her (usually a good thing, in his opinion, especially when working with something as sharp as his carving knife).

But with Ryder the words just came tumbling out naturally, like there was never enough to say. And the weirdest part was, he actually had an active desire to continue the conversation. And so, as was to be expected with the rare friend he had, Kristoff frowned awkwardly and cleared his throat, finally looking back at Ryder.

He winced slightly at the reindeer man’s gaze. “Sorry! I just didn’t really know what to say… it just seemed like…” He trailed off with his mouth open slightly and his gaze falling somewhere on the sparse cliffside.

Kristoff was slightly taken aback by the wince and actually felt a slight twinge somewhere inside. “Don’t be sorry!” He chuckled awkwardly. “I’m not the best with this kind of thing either.”

“You mean love?” Ryder lit up a little as he tensed with another laugh. “At least you found it and got this far! I’ve never had these kinds of problems before. It’s not like there are many people who get me and my thing with reindeer out here. Maybe when Elsa fixes this fog problem I’ll be able to find someone who’d want to talk like we do.”

Kristoff sat on his words for a moment, briefly debating whether or not to burst Ryder’s bubble about the outside world being pretty much the same, if not worse, than the beautiful, deadly enchanted forest they were all stuck in now. Most women didn’t seem to like Kristoff’s hobbies and all of them were put off by his behavior with Sven. None of them ever spent any time trying to get more than some quick alone time with the mysterious ice man who didn’t talk much with people… the strong silent type, as he’d overheard one particularly flirtatious girl swoon when he’d simply been munching on a carrot.

Anna, while she seemed comfortable with Sven and Kristoff’s relationship, was never one to intrude on it. She knew there were certain lines that she wouldn’t cross between a man and his reindeer, despite Sven convincing Kristoff to let her stick around more often. She’d always find something that distracted her and dragged her off, like the chaotic ball of energy she was.

“Love comes in many forms, y’know?” Kristoff finally settled on that. “Anna and Elsa have true love with each other, just like I do with Sven. You probably do with Honeymaren too.” Ryder looked a little uncertain and Kristoff held a hand up defensively. “Look, I’m not saying don’t look for romance. I’m just saying that there’s more to love than marrying a princess you saved from wolves.”

“Didn’t that little snowman say Anna saved you?” His eyes narrowed and a sinfully joyous smirk appeared.

Kristoff rolled his eyes with a grin. “Yeah, she did. But she also destroyed my lute-- and my sled!”

The herdsman burst out laughing, arms exploding out in both directions before quickly grabbing hold of his stomach. Kristoff joined in, knowing that the accident in hindsight was pretty hilarious. Ryder finally seemed to be back to his usual self as Kristoff felt the warmth of the other man’s body leaning against him as the laughter started to wear itself out.

Still chuckling, he almost gasped out. “I didn’t know you played the lute!”

Kristoff blushed. “Well ‘play’ is being a bit too generous…”

“What is a lute anyway?” He smiled with confusion.

“Oh! I can play it for you sometime! It’s like… It’s like…” Kristoff found himself struggling to describe what the stringed instrument sounded like. “A bowl, with strings, and when you pluck them they make music. Sven really loves it when I play for him!”

“No kidding! Reindeer love music. I usually just sing to them, though. We don’t have bowl-strings around here.”

Kristoff smiled wide. “I sing too! Usually just lullabies though.”

Ryder tilted his head with a heart melting grin. “Aww really? I do that too with the younger calves! I bet you have a beautiful voice.”

The iceman snarked. “Like you’re one to talk! I heard you singing with the Northuldrans, remember? That was incredible. How long did it take you to learn all of that?”

“That thing?” He chuckled innocently. “We Northuldrans sing all the time. It’s one of the few pastimes we have around here. We’re usually too busy to do anything else, and like Yalena always says, you can whistle while you work.”

“It doesn’t strain the voice at all?” Kristoff raised an eyebrow. “I know I’d be worried about attracting all those earth monsters.”

“Not at all. We never go too loud. Well, I never did at least. There was that one girl who Honeymaren was closer with that always thought she had the best voice. She learned her lesson when the fire spirits ignited the tree she was under.”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Ouch. Was she okay?” Ryder rolled his eyes and nodded. “Well maybe you should sing louder next time to cover for her.” Kristoff felt a small, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Ha!” He snorted. “I won’t be that little bastard’s next victim. Honeymaren said I’m better off sticking with the rest of the men. They can at least use their voices for their wives instead of their reindeer.”

Kristoff blushed slightly with embarrassment. “No no no! I meant…”

Ryder still smiled, arm settling on Kristoff’s shoulder. “It’s fine, Kris. I know where I belong.”

The icemen could’ve sworn he heard the tiniest bit of emptiness in what seemed like a confident statement. Before he could object and try and salvage what was meant to be a genuine compliment, Ryder hopped up from their seat.

“Speaking of, they’re probably getting antsy waiting for us.” The man took a deep breath as a large smile spread across his rosy cheeks. “Whaddaya say, Kristoff?” His voice swung an octave lower. “_Wanna take us to the village? We’ve been waiting forever!_”

Kristoff laughed and shook his head, pushing himself up from his spot. As selfish as it may have sounded, he wanted to keep talking with Ryder. Something about him was giving Kristoff a pleasant sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. He swung his own voice down to Sven’s registar. “_And we’re hungry! Why don’t we stop by that moss patch on the way down?_” He feigned his companions doe-eyed begging routine.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Ryder nodded. “How does that sound to the rest of you?” He called down into the clearing, then turned to Kristoff with a wanton, prompting stare.

The iceman blushed furiously and spoke before he could stop himself. “But… they’re your--” He cut himself off as he swore he saw the other man’s eyes grow wider in an instant, as if some sort of magical illusion had been shattered.

He couldn’t dare say no to a face like that. “Absolutely!” His voice wavered slightly as he tried to mimic the other man’s octave. “_We gotta get going before those lousy musk ox eat all our food!_”

“Yeah, you’re right!” Ryder beamed with joy and held back a chuckle at Kristoff’s voice. “Come on Kris! Let’s go beat those lousy musks!” He declared and started back towards the clearing.

Kristoff looked back briefly at the view of the autumn forest, the thousands of trees bobbing in the fjord’s winds. Damn his awkwardness. What had he been so afraid of in taking a shot at the other reindeer’s voices? Wasn’t that something they both loved and enjoyed?

He took a deep breath and sighed, arms crossing as his gaze drifted down to the sparse ground, golden leaves rustling at his feet. Gears worked in his mind and he felt himself nibbling the inside his cheek.

“_Kristoff? Where are you?_” He heard Sven moan concerningly from the clearing. “_Ryder’s getting worried about you again!_”

His stomach warmed and wriggled anxiously like a sentient being. Blood rushed through his body and he felt heat in his cheeks. Damn him and his cute little voice. Ryder’s impersonation of Sven was second to none, even his own.

And he’d be a dirty liar if he said he didn’t feel his heart melt a little at the herdman’s concern.

“I’m coming Sven!” He barely called out as he felt the lump forming in his throat.

No. He couldn’t be-- no, scratch that, he wasn’t. Nothing would happen. Ryder wasn’t even interested in men, as far as he knew. Taking another breath, he forced the thought from his mind. They were just friends, and that’s all they’d ever be. And there was nothing wrong with that. Love came in all sorts of forms.

And Kristoff knew for sure, he thought. Love wasn’t that foreign. After all, Ryder understood that too, right?

With that, he made his way down from the edge of the cliff, back to the familiar sights, sounds and smells of his good friends. It wouldn’t hurt to unwind a little more, especially in such familiar company.

Especially with a man as special to him as Ryder.


	2. Awkward Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of these bros! Thank you to everyone who has given kudos and comments, and glad to see there are some people who are into this ship! Enjoy the chapter!

Whenever Kristoff rode Sven, he always rewarded the reindeer later. Usually with carrots. Sometimes with something more lavish now that he lived in a palace. A lot of things and habits had changed quite a bit now that they were in the company of royalty.

Kristoff knew Anna and even Elsa rarely minded when he and Sven acted like they usually did. In private, that was. During family game nights and dinners, he was free to really let loose and be himself. During social events, however, he was often left to defend his decisions from the clucking tongues of visiting dignitaries, upper aristocracy, and general busybodies that had nothing better to do than chide him about things like the way he usually dressed, his rougher mannerisms, or his bluntness that rarely held a place in the polite and dignified social circles that frequented the palace now. Kristoff knew he was rough around the edges, and that Anna accepted him for who he was, but knew that some people would never change their opinions of him, no matter how much he changed or tried to grow. Anna was best suited to these sorts of events, where she would delight in conversation and ask question after question to every possible person.

Kristoff had made peace with the idea that he wasn’t cut out for such things. Some things never changed-- like his relationship with wealthy snobs. And so, Anna had compromised after she’d found him hiding miserably in a corner nibbling an apple one evening. He could stay as long as he wanted at events, and when he got tired of people he could retire to their room or the stables and Anna would join him afterwards for some quality time. As much as he hated social interaction, he knew better than to ask anything more of Anna when she was needed to keep events going. Sometimes even the Snow Queen herself could get worn out by these things as much as he could, and backup was crucial in any battle-- be it on the field or in a ballroom.

But the palace was a world away, almost like a distant memory now in the beautiful surroundings of nature. Now the only stimuli he had to contend with were ones of calming familiarity. 

The sound of leaves crunching under the dozens of cloven hooves, the distant rushing of the streams, the rustling of twigs and branches… the only other noises belonged to the soft breathing of the furry beasts they guided, and the equally soft humming of his jovial traveling companion. All of it, especially the later, made Kristoff feel for the first time in forever, completely at ease.

It was odd hearing someone do something so intimate in front of him. Anna, though she did sing, almost never did it in front of him or when they were alone. He was more the one to sing for her after she’d bought him a replacement lute. He knew she’d sing for Elsa, especially when she was in one of her patented Elsa moods. It didn’t really bother him, though. Her relationship with her sister was her business.

Maybe he didn’t give her enough opportunity to join in. His usual musical fare wasn’t exactly something he’d think princess would be familiar with. Usually they were old troll hymns, and in addition to ballads about reindeers, little stanzas about random experiences: like the time he crashed his sleigh into a tree, or the time he’d accidentally sat on his great uncle Onyx, or even the time Anna had dared him to come up with a funnier song and he came up with one about picking his nose. 

Yeah… maybe he needed to make his songs less about himself and Sven. She’d never really asked for it. Or enjoyed it when he talked about the experiences behind the songs. Maybe when she got back he’d work on writing a song for her… maybe then she’d sing with him.

The song Ryder was humming sounded vaguely familiar, though. He didn’t quite recognize it, but it made him feel calm. He waited until he thought there was a pause in the melody, but his companion instead remained quiet. 

A few seconds passed. “Was that a lullaby or something?”

Ryder seemed like he’d been snapped out of a trance. “Sorry, what?”

“That song you’ve been humming.” Kristoff repeated. “Is it like a lullaby?”

Realization passed over his face. “Oh that. Yeah, I think so. Honeymaren sings it all the time. Says it’s an ancient tradition or something. She said our mother used to sing it to us when we were younger.”

The iceman noticed a slight sadness in the other man’s eyes. “That’s really nice.” He said with a weak smile. “What’re the words?”

Ryder frowned. “I don’t like the lyrics. Sis likes to laugh at them now, but I’m not really ready for that.”

“Not your kind of humor, huh?” He mused as Sven seemed to steer a little closer to the reindeer Ryder was on.

“No.” He chuckled weakly. “Not at all. Not yet, at least. She always says it’ll make more sense when I’m older.” He seemed to brighten subtly, a small smile forming. “I’m already twenty one, so I don’t know what she means by it now.”

“My family always treats me like I’m made of glass. But they are rock trolls, so I guess that’s not too far of a stretch.”

Ryder instantly lit up at the mention of rock trolls, curiosity beaming from his eyes. “Your family are earth spirits?” His voice was soft and innocent with awe, like a young boy on Christmas. 

Kristoff chuckled in amusement. He’d never really thought about it, but it certainly did make sense. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The herdsman’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ shape and his let loose a soft gasp, almost like he was afraid to startle the reindeer. “Wow… that’s--”

“I know, right? They just took me in when they found me.” He nodded, remembering the night he’d met Bulda and Cliff in the valley and she’d promised to take care of them, no matter what. “It was kinda rough when it was just me and Sven. Still kinda is, sometimes.” He lamented as Ryder nodded.

“Yeah. Being alone like that can be hard. Honeymaren and I were lucky we had the village with us… y’know, when our mom died. They all stepped up to take care of us, especially Yelana. She was really close with her before. I was just a baby then. I don’t even remember what she was like.”

Kristoff sighed and crossed his arms, knowing his balance was secure on Sven. “At least you have your sister. Anna and Elsa have each other. I didn’t have anyone to tell me what my parents were like.”

“You were young too, huh?” Ryder frowned. Kristoff nodded. A moment passed. “How did you meet Sven?”

Kristoff looked up slightly from where his head had been turned down. “Sven?” The reindeer grunted underneath him. “Well I used to be in an orphanage. I was raised there for a few years. Left as soon as I could. I was hiding in a barn of some rich ass and I could see him tied to a post by the door. He was freezing and looked terrified. Then when he saw me...” He trailed off as he realized how sad this conversation was getting. A thought struck him like lightning.

He cleared his throat for a moment and blinked away the beginning of some tears, noticing Ryder looked miserable too. He dropped his voice a little lower to Sven’s voice. “_I saw him coming towards me and I was scared, but then he took out a carrot he said he’d been saving and immediately I knew we’d be best friends! He let me loose from the post and I knocked him over to thank him--_” 

Kristoff’s voice interjected: “In his usual way,” As he dropped a hand down and Sven licked it happily. 

Seeing Ryder’s face light up cause a rush of warmth to overcome to iceman. Sven continued to narrate. “_As I was saying, after I thanked him--_”

“Profusely!” Kristoff interrupted in faux annoyance.

“_We decided we had to stick together from then on! He busted me out of the mean man’s barn and that’s where our adventures all begin!_”

Ryder laughed as a wide smile finally broke free. “So that’s how you two got so close!” He concluded. “Sven, that was an amazing performance!” He reached over and scritched the reindeer’s ear. 

The kind beast grunted happily and leaned his head closer to Ryder, unfortunately forgetting his massive antlers were looming dangerously close to the one beneath the giver of scritches. Fortunately the other reindeer knew to move out of the way. Unfortunately, Ryder was unprepared for the sudden swerving his travelling companion took and quickly found himself sliding down the side of the reindeer with a high pitched yelp. His cap flew off and another reindeer caught it in its teeth.

“Woah there!” Kristoff managed to grab hold of the other man’s sleeve, but Sven was already two steps ahead and followed the swerve of the other reindeer as he clumsily caught Ryder’s upper half in the lower end of his antlers as his feet ran along the leaf covered ground. He was clearly startled, but the panicked man managed to keep a strong grip. Kristoff leaned forward to stop his friend from falling off of Sven as the shifting weight was starting to interfere with the reindeer’s ability to keep balanced. 

“Hang on!” Kristoff ordered as he gave Ryder a swift tug upwards. The other man yelped as he finally swung his lower half past Sven’s sharp tines and over his large furry neck, the reindeer slowing to a slight trot in an attempt to give Ryder a moment to get his bearings as the other beasts continued onwards.

The icemen wrapped his muscular arms around his traveling companion to stabilize him. “Hold it!” He barked as the reindeer immediately stopped and he scooted backwards to give Ryder more room. Sven, in an effort to remove the heavy man from his neck, arched it backwards. The young man yelped as he toppled forward, but Kristoff’s grip kept him steady. There was the sound of tearing fabric.

His tunic was caught on the antlers. Great. Just great.

“Wait wait wait wait--” Ryder protested as he felt the tension on the fabric of his tunic grow with the sounds of Sven’s antlers unintentionally tearing the back to shreds. Finally the sharp tines were freed of his outfit as he plopped down onto the creature’s back, mortified wide eyes staring directly at Kristoff’s shocked ones.

There was a moment of complete and utter silence as Kristoff held his companion tight in his arms, both sharing each other’s gaze. Sven was completely stationary, wanting to allow for the two men to catch their bearings. It took Kristoff a moment to realize why the rest of the world seemed so quiet too. He realized as he held his stare with Ryder that all of the other reindeer had continued onwards without them. The only creature within a several thousand foot radius was the reindeer they both occupied.

The iceman didn’t know what to do, but he felt that familiar lump rising into the back of his throat as he was forced to look into the other man’s warm blue eyes. Was he forced? He could definitely look away if he wanted to… but he didn’t want to. He knew this would be an awkward scenario with anyone else, even with Anna, but this was his friend Ryder. He suddenly became aware of the heat rising in his cheeks and the tension returned to his stomach. He suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that the sides of Ryder’s tunic were flapping open, and as he shifted his hands his right one touched skin. The other man sucked in a small breath and his lips parted. 

Wrong direction, Kristoff. Go _ up. _

Ryder felt petrified, like a deer that sensed a predator. His sudden show of acrobatics to avoid falling off a reindeer that just barely managed to avoid crashing and being saved by both him and Kristoff left his mind reeling. He’d barely registered his tunic getting caught on the antler tines, but the sound of it ripping snapped him awake. He didn’t even know why he was panicking. Maybe it was the near death experience of being dragging along the ground by a reindeer. Maybe it was because Honeymaren had worked so hard to get it to fit him as he grew from a lanky teenager into a moderately less lanky young adult. Maybe he was ashamed or worried about exposure to the elements. Or exposure to Kristoff.

Who he now felt the hand of, touching the small of his back. He still held the stare into his companions shocked, soft eyes.

He felt the cold hand drift up his back and into the safety of the fabric. He shivered as a cool breeze joined the hand. Despite the cold, he was still pressed against the warmth radiating off the iceman. He felt a churning in his stomach, heat radiating from his own body, now partially exposed. He also felt a sudden urge to lean forward.

But he cringed slightly as his hand reached from the spot where the antlers had shredded his tunic. The flesh of his back was grazed, but not likely bleeding. Kristoff immediately snapped out of his silence.

“Oh god… Sorry about that!” He blurted out as he realized Ryder was scratched.

“What, this?” He winced slightly with a chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I’ll be fine! It’s not even bleeding, see?” He moved his hand back around to show Kristoff.

Kristoff paused as he examined the hand, removing one hand to hold it in place. “Yeah, well, I should probably still take a look at it… if you want to that is!” He suddenly tacked on.

Ryder stuttered, slightly taken aback by the abrupt request for his approval. “I-I guess? It doesn’t hurt that badly? Hang on. I’ll get off.” He started to wriggle to swing one leg over the reindeer’s back.

Sven grunted. Kristoff knew that grunt. Or at least he thought he did. It sounded like one of disapproval. It might cause trouble if Ryder tried to get off before Sven was ready. He held onto Ryder’s other arm. “Wait. Sven. Sit.” 

He only realized his mistake as the reindeer obeyed the command meant for Ryder and planted his rear end on the ground, causing the two men to ungracefully slide and topple backwards off of the large beast. Kristoff landed hard on his back and Ryder slid right into Kristoff’s lap, barely maintaining his balance as his knees straddled the ice cutter’s torso. Sven, however, immediately caught wind of his impulsive mistake and stood back up, immediately knocking Ryder forward as he fell on top of Kristoff.

Before either of them could react, their lips pressed together as Ryder barely caught himself on the ground beneath. Both pairs of eyes widened at the sudden sensation, but to the other’s surprise neither of them pulled away. Kristoff was completely aware of what was happening, but his arms were reacting slowly as he reached and gripped Ryder’s bare sides. He was also painfully aware of the stirring sensation growing between his legs.

Finally, the herdsman lifted his head slightly, and Kristoff nearly nearly died right then and there as his friend scooted further backwards. Just far enough to feel his hard on.

Forget the proposal. Whatever this was; however they’d gotten here… this was truly a disaster. He braced himself for Ryder to get angry. Or upset. Or maybe even hurt him. His next words were a shock to the iceman.

“Kris, are you okay?” He sounded perplexed. Kristoff hadn’t realized he’d shut his eyes. 

Ryder looked very concernedly down at him, not moving an inch. The iceman was still hard, and he knew the exact spot where it was currently near was very dangerous. But if his friend was aware of it, he certainly wasn’t showing it.

“I…” He struggled to figure out what he should say. “You don’t feel what I’m feeling?”

The herdsman looked nervous, eyes scanning his companions chest. “You don’t think you broke something, did you?”

Kristoff knew he had to say something. “No no! I just meant my…” He trailed off again. “Nevermind.” He finally shook his head.

Ryder picked himself back up, dusting himself off and shaking the dark brown locks out of his face as he extended a hand down to Kristoff. The iceman quickly took it, still slightly dazed knowing Ryder had just felt his hard on and said--

“Uh, Kris, about that thing we just did...”

Shit.

“I know it was an accident, so you don’t have to feel bad if you think you cheated on Anna,” He felt a sickening shiver course through him as the warmth receded. Ryder must’ve noticed how pale he looked. “And you didn’t cheat on Anna!”

Just those words-- _ cheat on Anna _\-- were enough to make him throw up. He felt like he was about to tumble back to the ground again. He could see Ryder immediately realized this, and his friend whistled as Sven was immediately behind the iceman to support him. He saw Ryder closing the distance between him and felt his hands on his shoulders.

“Kristoff, look at me. You did nothing wrong. Kris?” He repeated his name as Kristoff forced himself not to look at Ryder. He couldn’t look at that face again without thinking about how good it felt to kiss those lips.

“Look at me, please.” The intensity vanished and his voice was soft again. “Please.”

That was the Ryder Kristoff was familiar with. Against his better judgement, he faced the man he felt so guilty seeing. His soft, angular jaw was set firm, brow focused but eyes as soft and warm as ever, like the coffee he drank despite not needing it for long nights of ice harvesting he no longer did. They were smooth and soft, calming him at first and sparking something bold within him.

“Everything is alright.” He stated calmly. “See? I’m okay. You’re okay. The reindeer heard the whistle, and they’ll be back any second.” His tone was captivating. Kristoff was believing him. 

“Do me a favor?” Ryder held the stare. Kristoff nodded mutely. His eyes broke the stare and he looked at Sven behind the iceman. Giving him a look, the herdsman dropped his voice.

“_Breathe, Kristoff_.” Sven’s voice soothed him just as much as Ryder’s did. His friend was right. What had happened between them was completely an accident. There was nothing to blame. It had been done, but there was nothing there. Everything would be fine.

“Thanks, you two.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I just panicked.”

“Don’t be sorry Kris,” Ryder assured.

Sven grunted. “_Do you want to talk about it?_” 

Kristoff shrugged. “What is there to talk about? You said it yourself. It was an accident. Everything is fine.” He patted Sven’s head. “We’re fine.”

“I… And that thing...?” Ryder waffled, voice trailing off.

That_ thing_, where Kristoff had touched his best friend’s bare back, had him sitting on top of his hard on and kissed him with almost no regret? 

Nope. Never happened. He couldn’t bring himself to turn him down. He couldn’t even think about it for more than three seconds without thinking about how horrible this would feel to Anna. He didn’t cheat on her. Not technically. It had been an accident. But he could have pulled back. He could have pushed him off. He could have done any number of things to avoid this, but he didn’t.

Because deep down, he loved it. He loved the soft warmth of the other man’s lips. He loved the way his warm, bare skin felt in his hands. He loved the weight of the younger man straddling his lap, and he _ wanted _ that same tight ass pressed against his cock. He wanted to see the rest of him in every way possible. He wanted most of all to ride whatever was hiding under those pants. 

But he couldn't. He couldn't want it, because of Anna. He couldn’t do this to her. Not like this. He’d been dating her for three years, and especially with how he’d freaked her out before by trying to propose? No. Absolutely not. This would be the worst possible way to go about things. She already had an inkling that he may want to see other people after his second disastrous attempt. Doing this now would kill her, and as much as his feelings towards her had changed, he still loved her. Anything that would kill her would, by extension, kill him too.

Perhaps literally, once Elsa found out, but if he could take every other difficult thing he’d done for Anna, he could face a thousand pissed off Snow Queens if it meant he wouldn’t hurt her any more. No amount of lust or sexual frustration would ever justify this.

Or, he could be blowing all of this out of proportion. Ryder was interested in women, and after this little incident there was no way in hell that he’d ever ask him otherwise now. He could be throwing away a decent chance at a life with someone he loved for nothing. Love came in many forms, but Ryder was his friend, first and foremost. Anna was his true love, right? She’d actually convinced him that was real, right? If he lost that now, he’d be nothing. He would be right back where he’d been three years ago, friendless and bitter, harvesting ice for the rest of his days. Years ago he never would have thought that having people in his life would make him so happy.

As much as he’d felt unsatisfied with his life lately, he was too afraid to risk losing it.

His stomach tightened again and he forced a small smile. “What thing?”

Ryder gave a small nod as the thundering of reindeer hooves grew closer. “I gotcha.” He said with some finality as he found the reindeer that had caught his cap and placed it back over his soft brown hair.

The herd wandered nimbly amongst the two men, waiting for the herder to guide them forward. Kristoff mounted Sven, and Ryder mounted his own reindeer. The two continued onwards towards the moss patch, everyone going in complete silence.


	3. Talk to the Reindeer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kristoff and Ryder hash out their feelings... hope ya'll like it!

Ryder was never a big fan of silence. That’s why he always talked to his reindeer. And that's why they always talked back. His sister never really understood it, but so long as it made him happy, she knew better than to do anything other than respect it. After all, she did love him. 

The rest of the Northuldrans didn’t really understand it either, especially when they herded reindeer as a primary food source. Reindeers were sweet, reindeers were cuddly, but at the end of the day, they were used for milk, fur and meat. They were a means to an end in a time where the only home they’d ever known was actively trying to endanger them with no way out. Anyone above the age of ten, in the eyes of the average Northuldran, had no place caring for reindeer the way that Ryder ever did.

Yelana herself had her reservations about Ryder, especially in his affinity for animals. It was extremely uncommon behavior among the men in their group, and often left him seeming a few caribou short of a migration herd. Whenever difficult decisions needed to be made, she depended on Honeymaren to bring her little brother back down from the heavens to reality. The harsh truth he always needed to hear was sometimes difficult decisions needed to be made, and not everyone could win. 

Sometimes, she wasn’t quite sure if he understood that sentiment. His affinity for reindeer remained as strong as ever, especially now that he had someone new to finally talk about it with.

But as a shepherd, Ryder knew this better than anyone else, ever since he’d lost his first baby reindeer to a wolf. Honeymaren had been the only thing between himself and the monster at the time, and had he not made the decision to get the rest of the herd to safety while his sister distracted it instead of saving one life, they would have starved that winter.

And just because he made that difficult choice didn’t mean he was ambivalent. Honeymaren and him still buried the body, placed a rock on the site, and even as an adult, he still remembered the horrified look in the helpless creature’s eyes as the wolf charged and pounced. They’d looked to him as he guided the group away, and he’d failed him.

Life was full of wolves and helpless things, but sometimes nature had to take its course. As Yelana always told him, listen to his natural instincts, and follow nature’s path. By following them together, he would be fine.

That’s why he’d kissed Kristoff, even if the iceman was going to pretend he hadn’t.

Ryder was far from ambivalent about this. If anything, he was adamant that Kristoff had felt something too. The iceman had said as much back there, but he’d been so focused on Kristoff surviving a fall off a reindeer he hadn’t acknowledged in that moment that Kristoff was as hard as a rock. When he’d tried to say more, all Kristoff could do was trail off before thinking he’d made a big mistake. After that, all Ryder could do was talk his friend down and put his own needs on the back burner.

Kristoff denying everything felt like a cold knife in his heart, and it had almost killed him to respond the way he had. He’d barely had a second to react before Kristoff shut down the conversation. What hurt even more though was the sudden shut down over everything, because silence between the two of them wasn’t normal. Silence between Kristoff and people was only a thing done when he couldn’t stand the other person. He didn’t know what was going through Kristoff’s head and the worst part was that he wasn’t sure if he’d ever know now. After the thing that Kristoff insisted hadn’t happened, they’d ridden in complete silence.

And Ryder didn’t like silence.

But Ryder understood that sometimes, difficult decisions needed to be made. Kristoff had made his, but that didn’t mean Ryder was going to let this matter go. Just because a choice was made doesn’t mean the problem was over. That was how he ended up killing his first wolf.

In retrospect, killing that damn monster was easy compared to him working up the courage to break the silence. Matters of survival had always preoccupied his people, and matters of the heart were foreign to him and as far as he knew they were to Honeymaren too. Talking to Kristoff was easy, right?

It had been. Now that the thing had happened between them, he didn’t know how to start again. All he wanted was for them to start talking again. To just figure out where things would go from here. His gaze fell to the ground for a moment before they fell to his reindeer and a small smile crept up his face. If he didn’t know how to begin the conversation, maybe someone else could.

“_Say, Kristoff,_” He mimicked his reindeer’s mid octave voice. “_How much longer till we get to the moss? We’re all famished!_” He moaned as his own reindeer grunted in response.

Sven grunted, tilting his large eyes to look up at Kristoff with a slight whine. The iceman sighed softly, knowing that Ryder and the reindeer knew the answer just as well as he did, but by now he knew the herdsman well. He spoke reindeer only when he didn’t think he could get through to Kristoff as he was. Thinking about the deeper implications made his stomach ache. A lump rose in his throat and he coughed before finally answering in his normal voice.

“We should be there soon. Maybe in ten minutes or so at the current pace.”

Sven talked back at him. “_Ten minutes is a long time, you know! Maybe we should start running to get there faster!” _

Kristoff rolled his eyes. “Remember the last time you ran to get to food? You pitched me into a snow drift and then just started licking the snow off my boots.” 

“_I bet Ryder would love to hear that story, Kris!_” 

Kristoff raised an eyebrow as he looked over at his travelling companion, who grinned like a guilty fool afraid of harsh punishment.

“_You and Ryder always talk!_” He continued to do Sven’s voice even though Kristoff could clearly see him speaking, and he’d be lying if he didn’t find his attempts to make him laugh endearing. Ryder’s reindeer gave him doe eyes and blinked forlornly. “_What went wrong?_”

The iceman sighed again, rubbing his arm with his hand and scratching his elbow. “Usually, I’d expect Ryder to start the conversation, but I guess he’s just upset with me right now.”

The shepherd’s eyes widened, but he quickly turned his head to face the slight decline in the slope the heard was facing now. “_Why would Ryder be upset with you, Kris?_” 

The voice was slightly less convincing this time. It was just a little too close to his actual voice and despite Kristoff’s efforts he couldn’t ignore the twinge to his heart hearing Ryder say these things. The iceman bit the inside of his cheek for a moment to think about his words.

“Because I didn’t know how to handle this really awkward thing that happened earlier, and I think that made Ryder sad.”

“_What thing?_” Ryder’s reindeer said in a slightly accusatory tone. This time Kristoff couldn’t tell if Ryder was superimposing an emotion onto his reindeer or if this was his friend’s actual opinion. The narrative would’ve made sense, seeing as his reindeer had continued on with the herd while they’d stayed back to do… whatever it could be called, but seeing as Ryder was definitely upset with him, it could have been either.

“When you ran off, Sven caught Ryder in his antlers and he somehow ended up kissing me. All I remember is that I said that we were fine… but apparently, we’re not.” 

“_If you were fine, wouldn’t you be talking like normal?_” Sven wondered aloud.

“I don’t talk with people, Sven. You _ know _that.” Kristoff huffed. 

“_I know you don’t talk with people you don’t like, Kris. Do you not like Ryder anymore?_” 

“Of course I like Ryder!” He blushed. “I just know I suck at talking about my feelings and I don’t want to scare him away.”

“_But why would you scare him away, Kris?” _

Ryder knew full well this was pushing things. He knew he should have led into it more gently. He knew he may have pushed the iceman too hard, but he knew dancing around the obvious wouldn’t get him anywhere with the grumpy man. He was afraid deep down it would somehow make the ice cutter snap, but he crossed his arms and looked intently at his traveling companion.

A moment of silence passed as Ryder watched the gears turning in Kristoff’s head. “Because… because I don’t want things to be awkward with him. We kissed and he sat on my hard on! That’s not something friends do!”

“_Well maybe not, but talking about it can make it kind of less awkward._” Ryder’s reindeer smiled over at Kristoff with a grunt.

“Maybe Ryder can tell I don’t really want to talk about this with him… if you see him, you can tell him that, right?” He peered over at Ryder, who raised an eyebrow at him intently.

“_And now, because you can’t talk about this, you can’t talk to him at all._” Sven’s voice echoed.

“I told you guys, I suck at talking about my feelings!” Sven grunted incredulously. “With people, Sven. That’s why reindeers are better than people.”

“_Kristoff,” _ The reindeer beneath him started. “_Just because it’s easier to talk to reindeer doesn’t mean you can’t also talk to people… maybe if you tried to talk to Ryder about your feelings, you’d feel even better…_”

“Sven, you’ve seen every time people have cheated, lied and sold me out. I’m just afraid if I open up, I’ll make things awkward.”

The other reindeer chimed in “_Ryder really likes you. He just wants to help you. He’s also still a little cold up here with his gakti torn..._”

From their vantage point at the downward slope, they could see the stream was growing closer with dozens of blobs of pastel moss scattered around it, fiery leaves swirling gracefully across the soft currents. There were no signs of the earth spirits that rested on the riverbanks, and the tranquility would have been beautiful had silence not been the enemy. Kristoff remained silent as Sven and Ryder’s reindeer stopped at a slight ledge, the other reindeer continuing past on their pilgrimage.

“Kristoff,” Ryder finally talked in his own voice, which sounded a little strained. “I really don’t like how we ended things back there.”

The iceman nodded slowly. Now knowing how much his actions had hurt one of the only human friends he’d ever had made part of him hurt inside. “Neither do I.”

“I know you’re not big on talking about these sorts of things, but I know how it feels to keep these things bottled up. It hurts a lot more than some people realize.” His reindeer scooted a little closer to Sven.

The ice cutter frowned, arms crossing weakly. “I just don’t know where to start. There’s a lot.”

The herdsman closed the distance between them, leaning over towards his friend. “Well, what’s bothering you the most?”

Kristoff sighed and looked over at his friend’s innocent blue eyes. “Can I make a small request first?”

Ryder nodded. Kristoff paused as he balanced his chin on his index finger and thumb. “Can we not do this with you leaning off your reindeer, please? I’d rather not have a repeat of that thing that happened.”

The shepherd felt a wave of relief as the iceman acknowledged the incident. At this point he was just glad to be clearing the air… and talking in his normal voice again. He let out a chuckle. “Sounds like a plan.” 

Both men dismounted their steeds, and Kristoff was about to send Sven off with Ryder’s ride when the shepherd told the creature to lay down. The ice cutter didn’t quite know how he felt about Sven listening to Ryder just yet, but the younger man sat cross legged across from the large, furry creature and gestured to Kristoff to lay down.

“Is this going to be like some kind of therapy session?”

“I don’t know what that is, but this is the amazing way us Northuldrans talk about things that bother us.” He shrugged. Kristoff smirked. If this was as amazing as their way of proposing, he knew he was in for a treat. Hopefully it wouldn’t end as catastrophically as the former.

“I’m starting to wonder if you’re just making up these cultural traditions because I’m new here.” He joked as lowered himself to the mossy ledge and laid his head on his furry therapy couch which grunted happily at his presence.

Ryder smiled sweetly. “Well I can promise it’s way more amazing than whatever therapy is. Here you’ll be warm and cozy.”

Kristoff decided to refrain from explaining. Instead he recalled something. “You said you were cold. I never did anything for that… I can fix it up for you. I have a needle and thread--”

“Kris, we’re here to talk about the thing that happened. I’ve dealt with the draft for a while, I promise, it’s no--”

“Come sit next to me!” The iceman blurted out. Ryder blinked, unsure how exactly to respond to that sudden request.

“You sure? I don’t want to--”

“Make things awkward?” Kristoff finished for him. “I’ve done enough of that for today. It won’t be awkward to relax next to a friend.”

Ryder didn’t need to be told twice. The tears in his tunic reached all the way up to his scapula and it wasn’t exactly a comfortable thing being elevated when air spirits were mischievous enough on the ground. Svens soft belly fur was every bit as warm and cozy as any outfit Honeymaren could make, and the natural heat of the two large hairy beasts that flanked him definitely served to warm him up.

“So, my fellow reindeer whisperer, what’s the matter?”

He took a breath and pondered, looking up at the collage of leaves on the massive canopy of the tree arching over the ledge. “Well, I’m sure you remember, I’ve been having my doubts about me and Anna.”

“Mmhmm.” Ryder nodded, taking off his cap and propping the back of his head on his hands. 

“And I’m starting to think that I’m not the right guy for her.” Kristoff lamented. “I just don’t feel close to her anymore. It feels like she’s too focused on her sister to really make time for me. I mean… you saw that last proposal and what Yelana said… she just up and left me to go on this journey without telling me anything.”

The herdsman looked over at Kristoff. “Have you talked to her about this stuff before?”

A moment passed as the iceman tried to recollect his grievances and communications with his girlfriend. Anna and him almost never talked anymore. Every time he’d tried to stop her from doing something reckless she was adamant she had to protect Elsa. Given the circumstances, he knew she was jumpy about the whole situation, but if there was anyone who did not need protection it was the queen with magic ice powers who could shish kabab two of the dukes goons at once without even trying. 

“Yeah a few times, but she always managed to make a little time for me before.”

“And what’s your relationship with Elsa like? Maybe you could talk to her about Anna?”

Every time before this he’d breached the topic of Elsa with Anna, it was usually about something she’d done during the day when she wasn’t busy signing documents or reviewing trade agreements. He did like Elsa more than he’d thought he would after he moved into the palace, and the two shared a common bond in wanting the absolute best for Anna. She’d given him a brand new job in exchange for saving her sister, and there had been several one on one meetings with the queen discussing everything from quotas in his job to a third, impartial party on treaties to just discussing the same novel they’d read one week. Elsa was fine. Elsa wasn’t the problem. Maybe he could breach that subject with her again, if he was ever allowed to set foot into the palace again after he broke Anna’s heart. There had been a particularly loaded meeting after Anna excitedly announced she was dating Kristoff where Elsa warned the iceman her sister was to be treated properly. 

At the end of the day, Elsa would stick with Anna, no matter how much she disliked Anna’s overprotectiveness to the destruction of everything else.

“I don’t think that would work… if I break up with her she’ll stick with Anna, no matter what I say. The last thing I want to do is piss off a woman with ice powers.” 

Ryder hummed with concentration. “Yeah… that’d be kinda bad.” 

“So...?” Kristoff looked over at his companion.

“As I’ve said, I know nothing about women.” He shook his head. “But something I’ve heard happens is that people can grow apart-- here that’s not really possible since ‘apart’ is behind an impenetrable fog barrier --but nonetheless, that’s what it sounds like.”

“So what should I do? Should I try to propose? See if that fixes things?”

Ryder shook his head again. “Honestly, based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think so. It sounds like you’re also having a bit of a problem imagining a future with her. Tell me this: can you see yourself in a life with her in five years?” 

Kristoff took a moment. Up until he’d joined Anna’s family he wasn’t even certain of what the next day would be like. Pragmatic as he was, he was never the kind of person who prepared for the distant future or even imagined himself occupying it. After all his field was quite a dangerous one, and all the times he’d scaled mountains there had been several times where he wasn’t certain he’d live to see the next day. He’d never even had a serious relationship before Anna, and dating royalty was about as serious as one could get. It came with certain expectations he didn’t think he could ever truly fulfill… especially if Anna were to become queen. People already couldn’t stand him being a guest in the castle. Having a reindeer king didn’t exactly seem like something people would be thrilled to hear about. It was a lot of changes to be enduring already if he married her as is, and even now he was uncertain if he could stand being in a suit long enough to marry her.

He sighed. “I guess I could, but on top of the whole Elsa thing I don’t think I could be happy living the life that comes with her. Could you really imagine me being a prince… or king?”

Ryder snorted. “Not really with how you are now. You’d definitely need a shower.”

“Ha ha. Like you’re one to talk, reindeer whisperer.” Kristoff smirked.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, reindeer king.” The other man nudged him playfully with his shoulder, adjusting his head so his neck was supported as well on the space heater that was Sven’s belly.

The thought of being a king made him feel ironically weak. “So if I can’t see myself having a future with her, should I break up with her?”

“Only if you can’t see yourself being happy in that future… whatever the situation may be. Not everyone is meant to go down the same paths, you know?”

Kristoff frowned. “Well this isn’t gonna be easy.”

“Even with as remarkably little knowledge of the opposite sex I have, I can agree with you on that one. But try to look at it this way: if you won’t be happy, she won’t be happy either. If she really cares for you, she’ll understand. She and Elsa may not be happy about it, but she’ll be gracious enough to let you go. From what I’ve seen Anna seems super sweet. It wouldn’t shock me if she met someone else with how much she talks to people.”

That being said at any other time by any other person probably would have made Kristoff feel some form of intense jealousy, but not anymore. He still loved Anna and enjoyed being her companion, but he knew that they weren’t really meant to be married. Love came in many forms, and she would always hold a special place in his heart, just like Ryder or Sven did.

“So, what’s next on the list?” Ryder asked after a pause, because deep down they both knew this moment was coming.

“That thing that happened back there…”

“Yeah?” Ryder said. “It happened, I remember.”

“You said it was an accident... We’re both agreed on that, right?”

“Yeah.” Ryder nodded and looked over at Kristoff. “I guess the biggest question is how do we look at it now?”

At that the ice cutter fell silent. His companion remained motionless, both of them staring at the forest canopy again.

“Is this something you have to talk to Sven about again, Kris?” Ryder lifted his head up to better see Kristoff’s face. The other man grunted a little. “It’s okay if it is.” He covered.

“No…” Kristoff admitted. “It’s not. You deserve an answer.”

“But do you have one yet?” The herdsman countered.

Kristoff felt the heat rising again as he blushed. He fought the lump in his throat. He’d spent far too long not communicating properly with his best human friend. 

“Yeah.” He choked out. Ryder felt his own stomach lurch. That tone was something to be attentive with, especially as he heard the fear unmask itself. “I liked it.”

A wave of relief and calmness suddenly washed over the other man as he sat up slightly. “You did?”

Kristoff nodded weakly. He looked visibly sick again. “Kris, don’t worry. You’re allowed to like it. I liked it too.”

The ice cutter’s eyes widened a concerning amount as soon as the agreement left Ryder’s lips. He arched his back, sitting on his elbows as he looked over at Ryder in surprise. “Wait, what? You did?”

Ryder nodded with a soft smile. “The circumstances were not exactly ideal, but the kiss itself was excellent. Not bad for my first one, I guess.” He chuckled a little and Kristoff felt himself smiling wider than he had in hours.

“You’re telling me I gave you your first kiss?” He raised an eyebrow. “I could have sworn you weren’t into men.”

“First, yes, you did. And second, when I say I know nothing about women, I mean it. At this point I’m enough of an outcast with the whole reindeer thing it didn’t shock anyone. I thought you were into Anna enough that I’d say the same to you.” 

“Well I didn’t even think about it much… I just kind of stuck to women because that’s what everyone else in the ice cutter guild was doing. I thought some of the men were attractive, but I never did it with anyone back then.”

“... did what, exactly?”

“Sex, I mean.” Ryder’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ as the two continued to sprawl across Sven. “I’ve done it a few times with both. I think I prefer men, though Anna was great at first.”

“At first?” The herdsman raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“More like until a few months ago. This whole Elsa thing has really had her out of sorts, so she wasn’t really focusing on the task at hand most of the time.”

“Ah.” Ryder felt himself blushing. This was quickly becoming the most interesting discussion he’d had in a while. Yelana and Honeymaren weren’t exactly the type to openly talk about these sorts of things. “She’s not pregnant, is she?”

“God no.” Kristoff rolled his eyes. “We agreed very early on that there’s be no sex at certain times just to avoid that till we were ready… I know she’ll be a great mother.”

“I was going to say… that’d make ending things way too complicated.”

“Ugh I know. I can’t imagine myself being a father now. I’m barely figuring out my own path right now.” He sighed. 

“Well,” Ryder sat up. “You’ve got plenty of time to figure it out. We still have to get the reindeer down to the stream.” 

Kristoff hopped up as Sven rolled over and shook the dust from his fur, shielding his brow as he peered down towards the close body of water. He could see little furry blobs wandering around the mossy banks. “I think they all went without us.”

“They _ what? _” Ryder instantly shot up, eyes suddenly panicked. He as at Kristoff’s side in an instant, cap back perched on his head. “What do you see down there?”

“They look fine from here…” Kristoff trailed off, slightly confused. Ryder cursed and smacked a palm against his forehead, a bead of sweat instantly working down his forehead. “What?”

“I should never have let them go! I’m a shepherd! My _ job _ is to follow them everywhere!” 

This was a side of Ryder Kristoff hadn’t seen before. It was slightly unnerving to see someone go from one extreme to the next as quickly as he did. Of course he couldn’t exactly blame him, given their shared affinity for reindeer. If Sven had wandered off back home he’d be concerned too. But at the moment, all he wanted was to see his friend calmed down. “Ryder, they’re safe. Nothing is going to come after them way out here.”

The shepherd didn’t seem to be listening to Kristoff’s futile attempts at comfort. He was already running down the steep sloped path, slipping and sliding on the smaller pebbles with his ripped tunic flapping behind him like a cape. 

The ice cutter immediately hopped on Sven and followed after the other man. He caught up to him in no time at all. When Sven wanted to run, their was almost no stopping him. Kristoff and his reindeer pulled to a stop as Ryder leaned against rock to catch his breath, panting from slight exhaustion.

“Hop on!” Kristoff grinned as the winded shepherd blindly stuck out an arm towards Sven like he was flagging them down.

“Are… are you sure?” He panted, gazing up at the same reindeer that practically saved his life not even eight hours ago and his pungent rider. 

“As long as you don’t rip your pants this time… I’ve only got so much thread on me.” Kristoff shrugged with a smirk, extending a hand downward to his best human friend. Ryder took it and straddled Sven behind Kristoff, the happy trio bounding down towards the stream.

With no other options, Ryder held on tight to Kristoff, arms snaked tightly around his waist as he took in the warmth of the ice cutter. The tightness of the anxiety seemed to dissipate in the ice cutter’s chest as he felt those soft hands grip the velvety exterior of his gakti. The ice cutter knew in that moment he was grateful for such a wonderful person to be connected to. Nothing could compare to the joy he felt in being able to admit he loved it. Some things never changed, like he was certain how tightly Ryder loved holding onto him. 

Ryder wasn’t usually a fan of silence… but he could forget about his troubles with his reindeer king’s joyful chuckles as they charged forth to meet the river and his herd down below.


	4. A Valiant Wingman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for your wonderful feedback! I very much appreciate it! Hope you enjoy this next chapter... things are getting hot and heavy.

The reindeer were safe. That’s what he’d said, right?

Ryder sighed as he wandered among his herd, eyes drifting up and down the rows and rows of furry beasts that happily grazed the spongy lichen, almost completely oblivious to his presence. Looked like they were hungry after all. Not a single whine or moan of distress from anybody now.

Was he was being overprotective? Most definitely. Was his mind jumping to conclusions kinda quickly? Yep. But did it come from a place of love and concern? He’d fight anyone who said otherwise, and Ryder wasn’t exactly known for his physical strength. He also knew better than to pretend his vision was good. More than ten feet of distance was enough to make him squint, but that was why he always stuck close to his herd. Better to blend in anyways. He’d sooner take the fall for any predator that came close rather than let it hurt his family. 

It was hard to think about how weak he’d been once… how close he’d come to freezing up that first time a wolf came for them; how Honeymaren had been the only thing to snap him out of his trance and keep things from going too far. Ryder never liked to think about those kinds of days, but it wasn’t like he could ignore them either.

Sometimes on bad days, he’d take the reindeer back to that one field and find that one large rock in the middle of it. He’d make his camp there for the day and leave all else back at he and his sister’s goahti, and challenge himself to keep his eyes on the horizon for as long as he could. He’d block it all out. As much as the shepherd loved his reindeer, sometimes, they could be too distracting for their own good.

Sometimes, when all he saw was the rolling of clouds in the distance and the waving of some of the kids that often played in the grass, his fear would subside long enough for him to lean his spear against the rock and he could converse with his friends in peace. He’d always share whatever his big sister packed for him-- even he got sick of his favorite cloudberry jam every once in a while --and he’d always check that every calf was close to it’s mom between shared bites of moss.

And when Ryder grew melancholic again, he’d leave his spear at the rock and wander around the herd in silence, one hand trailing the reindeer’s backs with his gaze focused on the nicest flowers he could find and save them from his herd’s diet. He would tuck them into bunches on his belt and only stop once he’d blindly found his way back to his camp and could lay out his finds. Only the best ones-- the ones with six or more petals; the ones with the softest fragrance and touch --made it into the final bunch, and the ugly flowers still made for a tasty snack.

Once he could feel the heat of the day starting to dissipate, he’d tap his spear on the ground and hop aboard any one of his companions, leaving the finished bouquet of iris blue flowers on his rock. _ That _ rock. By this point the reindeer knew better than to mess with anything that was on that rock.

But sometimes the shepherd would stay late into the night, wondering if he should leave that spot. At night it was too much to talk. He didn’t want them to hear him like that. Usually Honeymaren’s torch would find him and she’d help him get home if he ever stayed out too late. His sister knew his moods best, and would always make sure there was something warm to eat and their beds were made when he had a day like that.

Usually he found his voice again. Honeymaren was never one to let his silence continue on for too long. She hated it almost as much as he did, and Ryder knew it. They were really all each other had.

But deep down, after every episode, he always knew they would be safe. Even just being able to hear their grunts and snores at night from inside their goahti made him feel calm as could be. Despite whatever he feared would threaten his family, no matter how much he wanted to protect them, he knew the calmer he was, the better companion he’d be. They’d really said just as much when Ryder was his usual self. Even when Ryder wasn’t talking, he could still tell what they were thinking.

“_Gee, Ryder! This stuff is amazing!_” One of them exclaimed as he looked up happily at Ryder when he walked by.

“_Good thing Kristoff is such a smart guy!_” Another one with a slightly higher voice piped up from somewhere nearby. “_Without him I woulda totally forgot this place existed!_”

Ryder chuckled and blushed. “Yeah,”

“_Yeah! Kristoff is the best!_” One said as Ryder placed a hand on his head and started petting it softly. Diija always loved it when the shepherd’s hand just barely grazed past his right ear. He grunted with pleasure as Ryder inched towards the spot. “_Yeah…_” He swooned with pleasure. “_C’mon Ryder… You should thank him for us!_”

“Okay, okay,” He smirked and rolled his eyes. “Point taken, all of you!”

“You guys talking about something over there?” Kristoff’s voice called from where he sat on a dry, flat rock by the river, feet in the water with his socks and shoes tossed to the side. Several reindeer grunted in response and Ryder blushed furiously. 

“No!” He called and had to hide his laughing with a cupped hand. Even from the relatively far distance, Ryder could tell the ice cutter was smiling too. 

“Well don’t mind me! Sven’ll tell me later! He’s a good listener!”

Ryder spotted the telltale reindeer quickly. He was the only one in the group with a deep brunette crown. Sven looked quickly between him and Kristoff and shook his head lamely with an incredulous look. The shepherd grinned at the friendly, ambivalent creature.

“_Don’t mind us, Kristoff!_” Ryder spoke for Sven as the reindeer in question looked up from his lunch and peered over at Kristoff behind him. “_We’re just talking about the weather!_”

“Oh yeah? You do that then!” The shepherd could hear his friend rolling his eyes. It wasn’t like being trapped in a fog dome allowed for much variation in the weather. “Let me know if it changes… ever!”

Ryder closed the distance between himself and Sven. “He’s such a smartass.” He chuckled as Sven grunted nonchalantly and focused on Ryder. “How do you put up with him?”

Sven’s lower lip protruded as the reindeer appeared to shrug. “_Well he’s my best friend… I like that about him._”

“So do I!” The shepherd looked over at the quiet man as he gazed out at the autumn forest that continued on for miles past the river. “I’m really glad that whole accident thing is over.”

Sven grunted with approval. “_Kristoff really likes you, you know._”

“Yeah, I know.” He hummed, a hand moving to scritch the reindeer’s ear.

The creature’s eyes widened a little with guilt, making the shepherd pause. “_I’m sorry my antlers ripped your clothes, _ ” His lip quivered. “ _ Sometimes I can’t help myself._”

Ryder smiled and resumed his movements, delicately scratching the soft fluff behind the creature’s right ear. Kristoff had given him his sash when they’d reached the riverbank to tie around his waist and hold the shreds in place while he checked on the reindeer. “Don’t be sorry, buddy. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

At this the reindeer seemed to fall silent, focusing back on the moss at his hooves. Heat rose to Ryder’s cheeks as he looked at the reindeer with suspicion.

“Sven…”

The reindeer briefly glanced up at him with a hint of fear before staring at the ground as he scarfed down more moss. Ryder glared with soft disapproval, but kept his voice calm and low.

“Why would you do that? Honeymaren spent weeks trying to make this thing fit me!”

Sven seemed focused on the lichen as he yanked his head up, cheeks full like two comically overstuffed pillows and tilted his head back towards his master before burying his snout in the earth again.

“What?” Ryder was stumped. He shook his head as he glanced over at the other man. “Kristoff? I’m pretty sure that accident was the last thing he wanted between us.”

The reindeer shook his head as he continued to eat, suddenly taking a moment to swallow the massive lumps in his cheeks.

“What, so you just wanted to make things awkward between us?” The herdsman stared incredulously, blue eyes dim as he struggled to make sense of this realization.

The reindeer shook his head, and again tilted his antlers back towards Kristoff, who was now wading in the stream with his pant legs rolled up to his knees. 

“But… but he said he was _ afraid _ of making things awkward with me.” He stumbled and blinked, still trying to connect the dots.

Sven stamped his hoof and nodded with approval. 

Ryder blinked again, completely lost. He facepalmed. “Sven, help me out here.”

The reindeer brayed with exasperation. 

“Did he _ want _ to make things awkward?” Sven shook his head. He looked straight at Ryder and started grunting.

“Sven, what’re you--” The reindeer planted his rear end on the ground. “I--”

He suddenly rolled backwards, head tilted upwards with his eyes widened in shock. The dots were starting to connect for the shepherd. He was acting something out. He seemed to squirm on the ground like he was horrified until suddenly his black lips puckered and his tongue peeked out. The squirming suddenly stopped and all his limbs flopped lamely to the ground like a weight had been eased off his body.

The answer came immediately. “The accident. You’re Kristoff.” 

Sven nodded. He blushed. “So things got awkward there, yeah… I was there. You don’t need to remind me.”

The reindeer ignored him and rolled back so he was standing on all fours once more. “You’re still Kristoff?” The furry creature nodded enthusiastically, and immediately started looking nervous again, this time coming towards Ryder, gradually closing the distance between them.

“Um, Sven, I don’t really think this--” He was abruptly cut off by Sven’s massive, wet pink tongue slurping up the entirety of his face. He blinked in shock, trying to process what had just happened as his bangs hung static and high above his forehead, glued in place by the reindeer saliva.

His charade master waiting for the shock to fade and until he was certain Ryder was focused on him again. He looked wantonly at Ryder for a split second before the bashful grin contorted into a fearful look and he started to slowly back away.

“He… he wanted to kiss me before?” He stared shocked at the reindeer, the words barely escaping through the lump rising in his throat.

The reindeer nodded. “But he was afraid to.” The shepherd concluded. He nodded again, a little faster. “He was afraid of making things awkward before the accident, too?” 

Sven grinned and nodded enthusiastically, a sense of relief finally entering his large brown eyes. Ryder couldn’t help but laugh through this revelation and the charade master’s reaction, but the gears started spinning as the realization finally started to sink in.

“Kristoff loves me?” The reindeer across from him simply raised an eyebrow with an incredulous grin. “I...” He trailed off and Sven simply stepped back towards him and gave him a soft little lick and grunt of approval. 

He confidently smirked and stared into the creature’s eyes. “So that’s why you ‘accidentally’ tried to get my shirt off.”

The moment was ended by a voice cursing loudly and a single, pathetic splash. Both pairs of eyes immediately darted over to the source of the sounds and Kristoff breached the surface of the stream, soaked to the bone and sputtering as he shook the soggy blond hair out of his eyes.

Ryder immediately ran through the heard as the reindeer tried to clear a path for him, Sven unphased by the incident. The creature knew how clumsy Kristoff was in almost any large body of water. After all, his trade revolved around the only form in which the element was still and placid. Thankfully his master was more than capable of swimming. It was just a matter of him getting out of his wet clothes.

Which the reindeer was sure Ryder wouldn’t appreciate at_ all _…

“Kristoff!” The shepherd narrowly avoided falling into the stream himself as he skidded to a stop by the water’s edge, his soaking wet friend dragging himself out of the stream by crawling along the bank on all fours, his woolen clothes weighing him down like a sack of bricks.

“I’m fine…!” The ice cutter announced as he grabbed Ryder’s outstretched arm and the other man secured his grip with his other hand. “Thanks for the hand.”

The herdsman’s olympic blue eyes were brimming with concern, but he squeezed them shut and pulled on the hefty weight that held tight to his arm, stepping back as the drowned man was slowly dragged onto the soft, soaked moss. 

“I didn’t know you were so strong,” Kristoff chuckled through his shivering.

“Well you know…” Ryder shrugged with a small pant, eyes still fearful and small as they focused on the man who laid on the ground. “We have the best way of proposing, and the worst way of grieving.” His mouth curved into an uncomfortable and weak smile. 

A beat passed as Kristoff was left to try and contemplate if there was something deeper to that deflection, and the shepherd was quick to end it. “Ryder, I said I’m--”

“I know, I know, too soon.” He chuckled uneasily at his dark joke and seemed to remember he needed to help Kristoff. “Come on. Let’s get you dry.” 

“Ryder, I can get up myself. It’s fine, really.” The iceman started to push himself up despite the colossal weight in his stomach where his vest and tunic sagged with water like a bladder, but Ryder quickly roped his thinner arms around his chest and gave him a very ungraceful heave upwards. 

“Thank you.” Kristoff remarked and the other man nodded, taking his hand and guiding him back to the rock from where he’d started his journey into the stream. “I’ve never seen you joke around like that before.”

Ryder blushed. “That’s because I don’t. Usually. Joke like that.” He almost stammered as they reached the rock. “Now sit. The rock’s nice and warm.”

Kristoff chuckled a little, the other man’s behavior starting to unnerve him slightly. A cold shiver passed through his body as a gust of wind pierced the soaked clothes on his body. “Ryder, I appreciate it, but I need to strip down. You don’t have to look if you don’t--”

His eyes widened at the thought, a red color flashing through his face. “Oh! Right! Yeah. I completely forgot.” No, he hadn’t. He just wasn’t sure he could hide his own reaction to a shirtless Kristoff. He knew the decent thing to do would be to turn away, but the pressure in his stomach kept his feet firmly planted. Then before he could stop himself: “Do you want some help with that?”

Kristoff paused mid removal of his pants, giving Ryder a slightly shocked look. The shepherd knew his face was red. He thought he was going to die right then and there. Finally the ice cutter said something. “Uh… sure...”

With that he sat down on the rock and started working off the layers of clothes on his top half and Ryder found himself on his knees clumsily unwrinkling the bunched up wool legs of his best friend’s pants. His mind was reeling as he tried to forget how painfully awkward everything he’d been saying sounded, and he forced himself not to look up past the knees. If he did there was no telling what stupid thing the carnal desires in his mind would force him to say or do next. Despite wanting nothing more than to look he forced his gaze into the moss that littered the ground as he tugged the legs of the woolen pants loose until finally, right leg and then left, Kristoff was pantsless.

Damn him. Damn him and his clumsiness. Damn those cute little grunts he gave as he tried to force his way out of a tightly knit tunic and gakti with his head completely submerged in the fabric. He couldn’t just kneel there and stare at the ground.

Gulping down his anxiety and trying to ignore the growing sensation of warmth between his legs, he scooted closer to Kristoff. “Stop,” He gently ordered, barely choking on his words. The iceman obeyed, arms freezing in place. “Pull yourself down on the count of three.”

Ryder gripped the folds of the gakti and eased it down Kristoff’s muscled chest, and grabbed tightly to the top section of the tunic where the indentations of his arms created convenient holes to grab from. At his count he gave a swift tug upwards and despite his better judgement, he got to see every inch of skin, every smooth and defined ab muscle, and every single hair in the golden forest that resided on his wide, barreled chest. 

He felt the pressure on his leg grow immensely as it hardened stiff as a tree branch. Finally, Kristoff was freed with one final tug and the garment released him as it sprang into a damp, soggy coil in Ryder’s fists.

Of course he’d been attracted to Kristoff initially. It wasn’t like single, attractive, reindeer loving men casually popped through their forest often enough for the young shepherd, and the official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer certainly checked off every possible box for what Ryder considered attractive in a partner. Only when he’d mentioned he was trying to get engaged had he immediately and completely shut down the roaring demands of his biology.

Okay, maybe not _ completely_, but he wasn’t about to mess with something as serious as a committed relationship. Besides, Kristoff was happy, and he had a means of making him happier. Despite his carnal desires, deep down, Ryder got a deep feeling of satisfaction with traditional matchmaking… especially considering that tradition had to do with reindeer.

The night before had been endless fireside chatting and preparations. Catching the butterflies, arranging the reindeer, _ maybe _ asking Kristoff to move the large rocks with him supervising… he knew he wasn’t strong enough to be useful in that regard.

And he’d be a dirty liar if he said he hadn’t fantasized once or twice about Kristoff’s ass as the iceman just so happened to be bent over those large rocks. 

But in the end, what mattered most was getting this just right for him. After hearing all the ways Kristoff had tried and miserably failed to propose, the least he could do was help a fellow reindeer whisperer out. It wasn’t like being a shepherd and an outcast within his people gave him much to look forward to in the day. 

As the miniscule rays of warm sunlight hit his bare chest, Kristoff was suddenly aware of how warm the afternoon was getting. It was barely past noon and already there was a pleasant feel to the air. Even still recovering his body heat, he could already tell it wouldn’t be a long process. He could see the forest on the other side of the moss field was barely trembling, suddenly aware of the stillness from where they sat. The wind spirit must’ve been busy someplace else.

He was also suddenly aware of Ryder staring at his chest. With those soft, blue eyes that twinkled with all the innocence of a child ogling the glass jars of ribbon candy in Arendelle’s one sweet shop. He’d seen that look of wanting before. He’d _ had _that look before.

Had Ryder had that look before? His mind wandered back through their numerous interactions. If he had, Kristoff certainly hadn’t been paying attention. He was notorious for not doing that sometimes when other more pressing matters were on his mind… like this whole damn proposal thing.

Kristoff may not have been good with talking about his emotions, but he could certainly recognize what he felt now as he observed the other man before him in silent contemplation. He did a once over of the shepherd and looking down at the gap-- or lack thereof-- between his legs ended any possibility of doubt as to what path Ryder’s mind was currently on. The ice cutter continued to think, his gaze flickering between that handsomely defined shape and the distant blobs of color that was the enchanted forest. On the outside, he was cool as the crystalline ice he harvested. On the outside, at least.

On the inside, his mind was already constructing a beautifully sinful fantasy. He _ wanted _ it.

The only reason he wasn’t deepthroating that thing now was that was Sven was too far away to initiate this for him. Yes, it was childish at this point to rely on his best friend to talk to Ryder, and he didn’t think Sven would ever forgive him for using his voice in such a crude manner, but damn him if he knew how to break the ice this time. 

No. Talking through a reindeer wouldn’t get him Ryder. If he wanted this, he’d have to get creative. It wasn’t even like the journey would be that perilous. He was already down to his undergarments, so they were already part of the way there. 

And they were both hard as rocks. That had sometimes been the tricky part.

His eyes scanned the herdsman. There had to be something he could use as a jumping off point. Heat rose in his face as the silence between them seemed to stretch on for ages. He needed something to break the tension. 

The moment he was about to speak, a reindeer somewhere behind them burped the same way he had his first time at dinner with Anna and Elsa. If cold looks were something substantial from a normal person, they meant absolutely nothing to Kristoff after that queen’s stare.

Well, he _ had _asked for something. Ryder was snapped out of his trance by that sound and he twisted around to look back at his herd in shock, and Kristoff felt like doing some combination of face palming and laughing. He was overcome by the later and only when Ryder turned around fully did lighting strike in Kristoff’s head as he laid eyes on the slivers of warm, rosy skin peeking through the two large tears in the shepherd’s tunic.

“Hey, Ryder,” He didn’t waste a moment despite his laughter. He was still chuckling as Ryder turned back to face him, a bright blush returning to his cheeks as he took in the ice cutter’s physique. “I’ve got the needle and thread in the pocket on the inside of my vest. Let’s fix those tears before we get back to the others. Don’t want your sister to be on my case, right?”

The herdsman nodded wordlessly, eyes moving between Kristoff’s chest and his face as his hands blindly groped for the knot that held the ice cutter’s sash and his gakti together. 

Kristoff, despite his awkwardness with conversation, knew how to work his partners more carnal desires, especially in a man as obvious as Ryder. He’d had a feeling the shepherd was looking at something other than the reindeer that first night. He knew exactly what he wanted now. So Kristoff, never one to waste the opportunity of having another man’s attention, strolled the short distance over to where his vest had landed and bent over to search for his prize.

He felt the sly grin curve up his face as he heard Ryder stammer something. “What’d ya say?” He bent further down as he flipped the vest inside out, killing time as he felt the first drops of precum escape the exposed tip of his cock.

“Well,” Ryder paused, voice light and breathless. The ice cutter could practically feel the face heat radiating from other man only about ten feet away. “I remembered a better place for us to-- I-- I mean for _ you _ to warm up at…” He paused and swallowed. “Sorry. Just kinda…”

“Sunny?” The ice cutter proposed as he shifted his footing to shake his ass temptingly back and forth. He heard Ryder agree in the same, weak-at-the knees tone as he finally dug into the pocket, brushing his fingers delicately along the wool for the spot that he’d pinned the needle through and the wound length of black thread, only to feel the soft, damp weight of the wool as it enshrouded his hand.

His brow contorted as his mind suddenly ground to a screeching halt. Breaking his sinful stance he arched his back and rooted through the pocket more forcefully. Had the thread fallen out at some point this journey and he just hadn’t noticed? Was the needle buried somewhere in the inner lining now as if it’d worked its way through the spot he’d pinned it? Anna had been nagging him to just use a pin cushion for the damn thing.

Finally, he triumphantly removed the needle and unceremoniously dropped the vest back to the ground. The thread was definitely not there, and there was only one culprit that knew exactly where it was and had been with them the whole day.

Slightly put off and rolling his eyes, he let loose a frustrated sigh and made a beeline in his underwear for the reindeer who by now had made his way closer to the pair-- almost as if he was waiting for Kristoff to find that damned thread.

Ryder looked like he was about to say something as he walked past, but the iceman was focused on his prize.

Sven, of course, played dumb in that way only Sven could. The reindeer may have been good at emoting, but he was an abysmal liar. Kristoff, for how patient he was usually with his friend, was completely out of it now. He simply held of a hand expectantly, almost tapping his foot as his other hand was coiled in a fist at his side. Sven only bowed his head.

“Alright, you. Where is it.” The iceman frowned. The reindeer sniffed incredulously.

“Sven, seriously. I’m not playing around now. Where is the thread?” The creature’s eyes widened with mock confusion and he grunted in response.

“C’mon, Sven! I know you have it on you! If you give it back now, I’ll get you the biggest carrot I can buy.” Kristoff didn’t even know how he’d fulfill this promise, but he didn’t care. He’d find a way if it meant he would get Ryder alone in a secluded place for half an hour. Or longer.

Sven appeared unmoved, but he lifted his hind leg with an overdramatic bray and gave a roll of his big eyes. Kristoff immediately crouched down on all fours and scrambled with his upper torso at a steep angle downwards. Forearms pressed along the moss and his eyes only inches from the ground, he scanned it for any sign of the little black line in the earth. He even scooted his knees back and forth on the ground to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. There was absolutely no sign of that fucking--

He heard a familiar grunt behind him and instinctively reached for his own behind. Sven sometimes had tricked him like that. He hand clasped around fabric… and something familiar. Peeling the something off he felt the now uncoiled thread tickling his outstretched arm and sighed.

“You put that there, didn’t you.” The iceman deadpanned and Sven only grunted incredulously again, stamping his other hind hoof.

Suddenly remembering he had another handsome, now likely bored man watching him, he pulled himself up and glared at the reindeer, unable to look at Ryder now that he’d killed the mood and had the thing he was looking for literally stuck to his ass the whole time.

Only in looking at Sven again did he realize what the reindeer had been trying to do. His eyes widened and he grinned with appreciation.

“Um, Kris,” He heard Ryder from behind. “You… you still want to go where I was talking about…? You still look kinda damp.”

He’d been in the perfect position for Ryder’s dirty little mind to connect the dots, especially in how his ass hugged the fabric when he was bent at that angle. Maybe they’d try that position later. It was one of Kristoff’s favorites. The ice cutter beamed and scritched behind his best buddy’s right ear. 

“Deal still stands, alright, buddy?”

Sven grunted with approval and give Kristoff a grateful lick on the cheek. With that, the ice cutter turned back to the shepherd only to see that he’d taken the liberty of removing his gatki… and tunic.

Yup. They were on the same path alright.

“So, fellow reindeer whisperer,” The ice cutter stood, taking in Ryder’s own built and lightly toasted physique. “Where are we going?”

“Well, um,” Ryder’s eyes darted up and down Kristoff’s hairy body. “There’s a hot spring just on the other side of those rocks…” He gestured over to the spot where the stream emerged from around the rock, the sounds of water very audible even at the relative distance they were from it. “And a waterfall!” He tacked on. “We could go there, I mean… if you want to…”

There was that shy part of Ryder that emerged again. Kristoff wanted nothing more than to just hold him, and all he had to do was follow the shepherd back there. The look on his face must have been princeless to the other man’s obvious anxiety, because by the time Kristoff had nodded, Ryder was already up and sprinting, gatki, tunic and cap tossed into the heap with the ice cutter’s own discarded clothes.

Kristoff could only convince himself to wait another second before he followed, crouching down for only a moment to carefully secure his needle into the tunic. He cast one final glance between the reindeer and the awaiting man before breaking into a sprint himself. He’d waited too long for this moment. He wasn’t about to waste a second of it being controlled or restrained. This was the kind of freedom he’d longed for in three years of being stuffed in a palace.

And this was the man he’d wanted to share it all with.


	5. Admissions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is (mostly) gratuitous smut, and I don't claim to be good at writing it. If this is something you're interested in reading, go ahead. If not, skip down towards the bottom of this chapter and the story will pick back up. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all your comments and feedback! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Rounding the large rock, the warmth of the area gently caressed his exposed skin. Thin wisps of steam rose lazily from the moderately deep pool that was nestled in the rocks, the large, cliff-like walls blocking almost every vantage point from view except a narrow gap from where the stream crossed, the river cutting through another large rock formation. The mountain they’d traveled down loomed a stone’s throw away. Moss covered almost every crevice.

A thought struck him as he saw Ryder beaming at him with pure excitement, sitting patiently on a rock across the spring.

“Ryder, before we… you know,” Kristoff started to walk around the spring and stood next to the rock, mind preoccupied as he remembered the other man’s shared affinity. “The reindeer. You’re not worried?”

The shepherd nodded quickly. “I know. I know I shouldn’t leave them, but I’ve kept track of where we are. We were too close to everyone back there. I just didn’t want to risk anyone hearing us back here… if Yelana caught us, you’d never hear the end of it.” He ended with an embarrassed chuckle as Kristoff found himself smiling at the idea of the head of the tribe finding him in another awkward moment.

That would make the proposal incident seem downright appropriate compared to what he wanted to do with Ryder.

“Agreed,” Kristoff sat down as Ryder scooted over to make room for him on the rock. “But only if you’re absolutely sure.”

The herdsman nodded. “I’m sure. If the reindeer get spooked, the others are just through that thin strip of forest. They know their way by now.”

The iceman almost wondered if any of the Northuldrans had seen his little stunt with Ryder earlier, but he was so ready he didn’t care anymore. He took the shepherd's hand in his. “I don’t just mean the reindeer. I mean about what we do here. If something doesn’t feel right to you, tell me and we can stop whenever you want, okay?”

Ryders blue eyes shined and he smiled. “Kris, I know. Why are you holding my hand, though?”

“Oh,” Kristoff blinked. “I dunno. I guess I was trying to be romantic?”

The shepherd started to chuckle and the ice cutter blushed as he started to pull his hand away, but Ryder was quick to take the hand before it got away and placed it gingerly on his own knee.

“So Kris, remember when you said you liked it when we kissed?”

“Yeah…” The ice cutter nodded. “Wanna do that again?”

It was as good a start as any. Heat rising in their bodies, Ryder slid until his hip was nudging up against Kristoff and leaned into the ice cutter. Kristoff felt the tension in his undergarments grow almost uncomfortably tight as he slid a hand around and cupped the back of the shepherd’s neck, gently pulling the other man into a soft, embracing kiss. 

It lasted briefly, their lips parting only to hover and connect again. Ryder felt his member growing down his pant leg as he suddenly felt the tip of Kristoff’s tongue poking gently at his slightly parted lips and opened them for him, eyes shut as he enjoyed the cautious intrusion and started to reciprocate. He began to push into Kristoff, shifting close enough that the ice cutters hand drifted from his knee to the growing cock that was now tenting upwards.

The two continued to kiss as Kristoff fumbled with the other man’s cock, groping it through the fabric. Even as he kissed Ryder, messily and restrained as the other man’s inexperience showed, he could feel the subtle changes as the shepherd was pressing into him, and he sucked in a quick breath through his nose as he felt a familiar hand snaking around his waist. Ryder pulled back from their kiss and gave a slight nod to the ice cutter as his hand travelled down Ryder’s back and towards his pants.

“Kris, get them off me,” There was an urgency to his voice that melted into a moan as he obliged but continued to massage the shaft through the fabric. The ice cutter could tell the shepherd was going commando under there, which was a pleasant surprise.

His other hand slid under the waist of the pants and wrapped around the rock hard sheath, his other hand quickly sliding them down and around his ankles. The shepherd immediately started to kick off his boots as Kristoff slowly rolled the foreskin back from the pink tip, eyes widening at the thing he’d been waiting to see. It was a decent size, only slightly smaller than his own.

Ryder blushed. “I’m sorry it’s not that big, I just--”

“Ryder, don’t worry. Bigger isn’t always better.” The iceman assured as he gave the other man a small peck and climbed down to the ground and continued to paw at the stiff cock.

The shepherd looked perplexedly down at the large man kneeling between his legs. Kristoff caught the look and paused. Despite not knowing exactly what the other man was about to do, he nodded. 

Without another beat, the ice cutter got to work. Ryder released a pant of ecstasy as Kristoff’s tongue ran up and down the length of his shaft once before it was fully engulfed into his mouth. Both cocks throbbed as the shepherd started to moan with pleasure. The other man went slowly at first, sucking on the pink tip before saving his tongue to swirl around the underside of the head. He knew how to pleasure a man. Had the herdsman not been busy reacting the only way he knew how to the copious amount of pleasure that was coursing through his lower half, he would have agreed.

Finally, Kristoff reached the small bush at the end of Ryder’s cock. It was easily five and a half inches. Nothing too difficult for him to take. His brown eyes opened and trained up on the other man, who was barely maintaining his seated position as he leaned back on his elbows.

The ice cutter sniffed as he gave a tantalizing swirl of his tongue and pulled his head back. “That’s it, you’re doing great,” He affirmed and gave the cock another lick. Ryder mindlessly pushed his pelvis upwards, thrusting the cock gently back into Kristoff’s waiting mouth as he starting fucking his face.

The shepherd panted as he felt his brain urging him to thrust harder, faster, more. Now wasn’t a time he could handle the waiting that came with being slow. He gradually picked up speed as Kristoff’s mouth opened wider to accommodate the large, messy thrusts, hands free to work his own erection out of his undergarments as he inched them down to his bent knees.

Ryder finally pushed himself up as he stood, a hand grabbing a fistful of Kristoff’s blond hair as he held his head in place and continued to thrust in and out. The ice cutter obliged, one hand gripping the shepherd’s ass and the other furiously jerking his own stiff cock as he greedily took the other man in his mouth.

Kristoff absolutely loved it. The pleasure of his gag reflex being tested by such a large challenger made his own cock ooze. He teased the head with his tongue, the salty taste of precum leaking quickly from the tip as he swallowed it happily. 

Suddenly he felt the familiar twinges of the release at the base of his cock. “Fuck… Kristoff, I’m gonna--”

Kristoff’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled off the shepherd’s shaft. The cock twitched longingly as Ryder took his now free hand and gently worked to keep it stiff.

“Don’t cum. Don’t do it yet.” The iceman ordered. “I’m not done with it yet.”

The other man nodded wordlessly as he removed his touch and felt the waves dissipate. “Okay.” He panted. “It’s gone.”

“Good,” Kristoff stood back up and kissed the other man, his own cock stiff as it was pressed between the two men’s chests. He lifted his feet and kicked his undergarments away. He took the hand that had been focused on hold his head and placed it on his ass. “Because I want you to fuck me.” 

Ryder’s eyes widened and a smile found its way to the surface through his reddening cheeks. On instinct, he kissed the ice cutter and brought his other hand to his ass before both of them gave a gentle, wanting squeeze. Kristoff ground his cock against the shepherd’s moderately defined abs and moaned through the kiss, eyes squeezed shut as he imagined abandoning all efforts of silence and moaning the herdsman’s name as loud as he possibly could as that amazing cock stretched his hole and came deep inside him.

Suddenly Ryder’s mouth started to migrate from his own. He felt soft kisses pepper themselves along his jaw, his neck, chest, and abs until he finally wrapped his lips around his cock, head bobbing as he ran his tongue along the edge of his foreskin like he’d felt Kristoff do.

“Oh Ryder,” He panted, savoring the delicate movements of the other man as he awkwardly tried to inch Kristoff’s rather large cock into his mouth. “Just relax,” He placed a hand gently on the back of the other man’s head. “Take it slow. You don’t have to choke on it.”

The other man continued, however, clearly persistent and unwilling to let a single bit of his cock remain dry. He inched down further and further until the ice cutter could hear the sounds of muffled gagging as his lips parted wide and he suddenly pulled back, the reflex halting his advances.

Kristoff immediately brought his other hand to Ryder’s cheek as he coughed, trying to recover as quickly as possible. “See what I mean? Just like I was doing to you. Just relax, and take it slow.” He repeated. “You’ll get better as you practice.”

“I…” He trailed off, face flushed red with embarrassment. He looked ready to apologize. “I want to keep practicing.”

Kristoff couldn’t help but smile at his persistence. “Only if you want to. And while you’re at it, don’t be afraid to use your hands back there again,” He suddenly felt Ryder give his ass another squeeze. “Yeah,” His affirmation came out in a small moan. “Like that...”

With that, Ryder took Kristoff into his mouth once again and tried to go smooth, one hand on his ass and the other holding the base of the shaft in place as he swallowed inch after inch. Stopping just before his gag reflex, he started to work back up the thick, seven inch cock as he suddenly tasted a salty sensation at the back of his tongue. His other hand ran along the soft, round shape of the ice cutter’s ass, fingers slowly parting his cheeks as they worked deeper inside.

The other man tightened his grip around Ryder’s soft brown hair. “Oh fuck yeah,” The shepherd started to bob up and down on his massive cock. “That’s it… fuck… you’re doing great!” Kristoff encouraged as his voice suddenly melted into a moan.

The herdsman finally held the cock in his mouth as both hands now focused on spreading his ass wide open. Kristoff shuddered with pleasure as he felt an index finger teasing his tight hole and pressing into it as he started thrusting his cock forward into Ryder’s waiting mouth.

“Fuck,” He growled with pleasure and his head swung back as the finger entered his hole and started worming into him. Waves of pleasure and ecstasy rushed through him as it wriggled around curiously, everything it touched warming instantly.

Ryder pulled off of his cock, brows raising with innocent fear. “Is that okay?”

Kristoff moaned as even the stationary finger still had him reeling. He hadn’t had someone open him up in a long time. “Yes, fuck yes!” He panted wildly as Ryder slowly pushed further in, staring in awe at the other man’s reaction. Suddenly Kristoff held out his hand. “Spit on it,” He commanded.

Ryder did as he was told and immediately felt the hand applying it to the area around where his finger remained submerged. An idea entered his mind. “Wait.” He said as Kristoff was about to spit on his own hand. “Lean over the rock.”

The ice cutter’s eyes widened with joy as he immediately bent over the rock they’d sat on, arms bracing his chest as he arched his back and pressed into the surface of the warm, damp stone. His beautiful round ass was now exposed and on full display. “It’s all yours,” He announced as Ryder quickly turned himself around and got to work.

Ryder didn’t really know if he was going to do this right… or if he’d done anything right so far. All he could really do was trust his best friend… partner…? What exactly were they now? Whatever it could be called, he could tell Kristoff was more than enjoying himself. Maybe this arrangement would work out well.

He felt a light smile come over him as he observed the tight, pink hole poised before him. He slowly inched his face towards it and ran his tongue around the sides. He heard Kristoff grunt with pleasure as he shuffled back slightly, suddenly jamming Ryder’s tongue into the hole. The shepherd squeaked in surprise as he grabbed hold of the other man’s hips, holding him steady as he regained control of his position and started letting the spit collect around his tongue, quickly lubricating the tight hole. The ice cutter’s whimpers were quickly dwarfed by full moans as he continued to push as deep as his tongue would allow him.

Finally he pulled away, his grip on the ice cutter’s hips softening and the other man quickly turned around, eyes halfway between trance and revival. “What’s wrong?”

Ryder blushed. “Nothing! Just… am I doing okay? I’ve never done that before and...”

“Ryder, listen to me.” Kristoff ordered. He listened attentively. “No, I mean listen to me while you’re doing what you do. If you can hear me moaning like that, take it as a good sign. If I’d wanted you to stop eating me out at any point, I would’ve said so!” He finished with a chuckle.

The shepherd brightened a little, his freckled cheeks shining as a sheepish smile formed. He nodded. “So what now?”

Kristoff smiled gently as he felt his heart melt a little at his consideration. Most guys who fucked him simply took what they wanted without a moment’s hesitation. Despite being given the reigns, the iceman knew Ryder needed to be more confident with himself. Maybe he’d learn it more as he practiced, but he’d be a lousy sexual partner and friend to not help him out.

So he did. “What do you want?”

The shepherd paused for a moment, eyes scanning the damp hole before him. “I think I want to try fucking, but…”

“That works for me,” Kristoff nodded. “But I want you to open me up a little more first. It’ll be easier for me to take you then.”

Ryder nodded, but his finger simply hovered near his ass and Kristoff found himself grinning as he bent back over the rock in anticipation. “Just suck on it for a minute. That’ll help it.”

Feeling the damp finger push into him brought him back to his high and his cock jumped. Ryder had used his middle finger. He was learning just fine. The shepherd did as Kristoff instructed and listened, ears tuned in as he continued to press deeper until he hit a small bump and he nearly had a heart attack at the sudden jerking and loud moan from his partner.

“What did I--”

“Do it again, damn it!” Kristoff thrust his ass backward, almost throwing himself off the rock and on top of Ryder.

The shepherd, though a little dazed, immediately complied. The ice cutter shivered and continued to moan. Intuition crossed him again and he began to massage the bump, bracing for the fireworks. Kristoff did not disappoint, quickly starting to rock on Ryder’s finger as he hit the spot over and over again.

Ryder almost laughed at the pathetic whimper that escaped the other man as he removed his finger and lubed it up once more, spitting on his hole again for good measure.

“Wait,” Kristoff gasped as Ryder’s finger pressed against his hole. “Use two.”

Ryder obliged, stretching the ice cutter’s hole with two, then three fingers, his other hand running across Kristoff’s back and gently petting his ass. Finally, as he reached down to handle his cock, he heard the words he’d been waiting for.

“Fuck me, Ryder.” The large man begged as he started to roll over and he sat up. 

Ryder gave his own cock a few strokes as he looked up at the ice cutters red and sweaty face, his soft brown eyes looking at him with a strange, pleasured glamour to them. He felt Kristoff’s large hands hold his shoulders as he leaned down and kissed him, messingly jamming his tongue into his mouth and closing his eyes as he stood up and broke the kiss. The iceman immediately sucked his cock again for good measure, tension building at his base until the other man felt the throbbing and stopped. 

He’d be damned if he’d let the shepherd get this far only to cum in the wrong place.

He quickly leaned backwards until his back pressed into the damp stone, head resting on his hands as Ryder quickly filled the space between his legs, bending his knees slightly as the ice cutter lifted his legs over the shepherds toned shoulders. He felt the hard tip of his cock sliding against the curve of his ass and felt his hole constrict as it was guided closer, the sticky precum held between his ass and the other mans cock.

“Are you ready?” His voice asked cautiously, one hand wrapped around the base of his cock and the other resting on Kristoff’s fuzzy ankle.

The ice cutter nodded quickly, eyes trained on the shepherd as he started to push forward, pressure building as his hole resisted. A strong groan escaped his lips as the tip popped into him. His hand groped blindly for his cock as Ryder bent over Kristoff’s chest, sliding his cock deep inside as his lips parted in a shocked gasp. Finally, both men felt the sudden sensation of Kristoff’s prostate, and Ryder swore the sound that tore free as his stiff shaft slid into that spot nearly made him cum right then and there.

But he held it back, both hands quickly wrapping around the other man’s muscular thighs as he pulled back and slowly pushed back in, Kristoff’s face relaxed and lame as he grunted and groaned with each movement Ryder made. The shepherd grinned and enjoyed the sensation of the other man’s hole as it tightened around his cock, warmth coursing through his entire body as he started to pick up speed in his thrusts.

“Fuck, oh Ryder, shit,” Little, sinful words occasionally escaped the ice cutter’s mouth as Ryder continued to fuck him, but they quickly started to grow with his voice as he seemed to lose all control over it with each strong thrust. “That’s it, fuck me-- c’mon--_ faster! _”

Ryder obliged. The sound of Kristoff moaning his name made him blush a bright crimson as his cock throbbed with pleasure each time it slid in and out. He felt sweat crawling down his chest and abs as he bent into the other man until his torso was gingerly pressed to Kristoff’s. The other man wasted no time and snaked his arms around his back, mouth messily pressing into his as they fucked and kissed.

The shepherd felt Kristoff pressing up from where he lay, further into his body as he moved his own hands down Kristoff’s back, finally spreading his fingers over his ass as he lifted the iceman up and arched his back to hold the man onto his cock. He moaned through the kiss as he started to ride the cock like a natural, ass slapping into Ryder’s pelvis with each thrust as he balanced with his legs against a rock.

Kristoff broke the long kiss as he threw his head back and let loose a loud moan, unable to hold it in as Ryder’s massive cock slammed into his prostate over and over again. The blond cowlicks flopped back down over his eyes and bounced in time as he rode the reindeer man, his cock starting to quiver as the motion spread his precum all up the other man’s sweaty chest.

Ryder quickly kissed him again before starting to rock in time with Kristoff’s movements, forcing another loud moan from his partner as he whimpered with each thrust. He felt the familiar pressure building at the base of his cock again and the iceman said something through his gasps.

“Wait--” He panted only for Ryder to accidentally thrust once more. “Flip me over. Fuck me harder. Please.” He managed to force out.

The shepherd gulped down a breath as he pulled out and Kristoff’s legs untangled themselves and found the ground for only a moment as he climbed the rock again, this time leaning his hairy torso down and spreading his ass wide. Ryder, despite his concerns, didn’t hold back and positioned himself to enter again.

“Kris, are you sure?”

The ice cutter growled and it ended in a chuckle. “Yes, I’m fucking sure! Now--” His sentence ended in a moan and shiver of pleasure as Ryder pushed back into his ass, a hand softly caressing his back as he adjusted his position to be more comfortable. The shepherd place his right foot atop the stone as well, opting for a more convenient angle.

With their position now stable, Ryder’s exhausted pelvis let loose every bit of energy it had left as he rammed roughly and quickly into the iceman, who was practically insane with ecstasy as his cock pounded his prostate with all the force of a man with nothing left but his adrenalin to carry him into an orgasm.

“Fuck yeah, keep going, don’t stop!” He drooled onto the rock as Ryder now moaned and his grip on the iceman’s hips tightening. “Fuck me! Give it to me! I want to feel your load in my ass!”

Ryder felt the pressure growing as he continued to fuck the man beneath him, but his hands roped around his hairy chest and he was forced to pause as he flipped Kristoff over, planting both legs on the stone floor, and ground his chest against the ice cutters as he kissed him once more. If the ice cutter was at all taken aback, he certainly didn’t show it. He took the kiss as Ryder’s chest ground against his rock hard cock, feeling the pressure build at its base as he wrapped a hand around the shaft and pumped furiously to his climax with each golden thrust.

Ryder broke the kiss as he sucked in a breath and the dam broke. Every curse in the world flew from his lips as his cock burst with a debilitating wave of pleasure and he shot load after load of hot, sticky cum deep inside Kristoff.

Kristoff moaned and stars flashed across his vision as he felt his hole tighten around the shepherd’s cock, the pressure suddenly releasing as he blew his load between their chests. The semen rocketed up into his forest of chest hair as Ryder’s weight began to settle onto him, the two men riding out their orgasms until their cocks gradually began to soften between them.

Panting in their collective heat, Kristoff suddenly longed to be back in the chilling embrace of the river he’d fallen in. He’d forgotten how truly hot sex made him feel after the burning lust trickled out of him and all over Ryder’s chest.

The shepherd, however, didn’t seem to mind the warmth at all, as he steadied his breath and blinked, smiling down at Kristoff through the post orgasm exhaustion like only he could with someone he loved. Kristoff found the cooling blue of the other man’s eyes alluring as he pulled his head up to kiss the herdsman, the salty taste of sweat lingering on their lips. Ryder’s hair was plastered to his forehead, finally breaking free and swinging down with gravity as he kissed his companion, but he didn’t care. Nothing was worth breaking this moment.

In their soft pants and breaths, Ryder could hear the bubbling of the spring, the rushing of the stream… even the distant singing of his people far off in the forest down the river. Maybe the silence was needed sometimes.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t complete silence. He could still hear his heart beating and their shared, gradual return to normal breathing. But not a word was spoken, and perhaps there was something beautiful to it all. Even in the stillness and calm, their hearts beated as one.

Boy, Honeymaren would be laughing at that little gem for weeks if she’d caught her awkward little brother waxing poetics.

But Ryder didn’t care. The warmth he felt for this beautiful boulder of a man beneath him was something that was beyond comparison. He’d take every bullet of other’s opinions if that’s the price that needed to be paid to hold that sensation within himself forever. The warmth felt limitless, weightless, and floated gently within his chest as he sighed into Kristoff’s damp shoulder. 

Finally, Kristoff said something, his breath steady with a smile. “That was incredible,” Ryder blushed slightly, eyes averting his warm gaze in modesty as the man beneath him propped up his torso on his elbows. “You’re serious when you said you’d never tried that before?”

He nodded. “Never. I knew what I wanted to do, but I never actually did it.”

“Oh yeah?” The ice cutter raised an eyebrow mischievously. “And did you?”

Despite his soreness and exhaustion, Ryder felt his cock getting hard again at the thought of his fantasies when they’d set up the proposal. He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. Definitely.” 

With that, Kristoff sat himself up and Ryder stood, arching his back. His blue eyes suddenly widened as he seemed to remember the sticky sensation that had been shot up his chest. The ice cutter snorted in amusement at the shepherd’s expression as the younger man slowly poked at it like it was some kind of mysterious alien. 

“It won’t bite, you know,” He pushed himself up from the rock. Despite the immense heat that he’d just felt, the hot springs just a few feet away were calling his name. “It actually tastes pretty good too, if you want to try it.”

Ryder made a sound of acknowledgement, still transfixed until suddenly the words sunk in. His gaze morphed to one of complete confusion. “Why would you eat it?”

At this Kristoff shrugged. “I dunno. A guy I was with uh…” He paused, trying to figure out his words as he stopped just at the edge of the hot spring. His hand rubbed the back of his head gently. “He said it tasted good. Liked it when guys came in his mouth.”

“Wow.” The shepherd blinked, mind trying to visualize something that seemed so strange. “That’s so… interesting.”

“Say what you will, he was good at sucking.” The ice cutter ran his finger up his midsection, catching a drop that was migrating from within his forest of chest hair. Satisfied with his modest collection, he sucked the finger dry, savouring the salty taste of his load. “You were too, y’know.”

Ryder nodded with a small hum, mimicking Kristoff’s behavior as he tasted the warm, sticky load. It reminded him of the time his sister had tried to make bierggojubttsa for the first time when he was seven years old, his novice sister having forgotten to wash the pot she’d rendered the bones in resulting in a foamy, sticky, greyish goo rendering at the top of his broth. Despite his efforts to eat around it and be appreciative, he fought to not spit it out.

The taste of this was a massive improvement, of course, to the congealed blood and marrow he’d unfortunately encountered then, but the texture was too familiar for him to avoid shivering slightly as the memories of that abysmal stew tainted it beyond his comfort zone. Kristoff, now stepping into the hot spring, didn’t seem to notice his reaction, and for that he was grateful. Ryder was all for trying new things and today was his most productive day in that regard in many, many years, but that was something he knew he’d have to get used to. 

He knew Kristoff wouldn’t give him a hard time though. This was the same man he’d told about him being a virgin after all. He’d never told anyone that, but Honeymaren had a sixth sense, so it’s not like she counted.

“So,” Ryder began as he stepped down into the hot water. “Did you get what you wanted?”

The iceman seemed to ponder his words. “I mean, yeah,” He answered, a small smile creeping up his face.

The shepherd could tell he was going to start stuttering again. He wasted no time, allowing himself to smile and give the other man a clear indication of his own feelings. “And did you want to have sex with me?”

The ice cutter nodded, a sheepish, stupid grin on his face. Damn him and his cute little smile. 

“Well if you want, we can do that again sometime. I really enjoyed it. Being in you. And with you.” He continued, still tripping over his words a bit. He wanted to get this right. “I loved it.”

Kristoff felt himself saying it before he even realized what was coming out of his mouth, or what Ryder had actually said. “So did I. But I love you too.”

Immediately he felt himself shrink inside. His eyes widened as he looked over at Ryder, heat rising in his cheeks once again. He didn’t know what reaction he expected from the shepherd, but the pause of contemplative silence from the man next to him made a pain sear through his chest.

His voice was soft, testing, and had just the tiniest amount of hope within. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”

The ice cutter’s eyes darted around, finally settling on the water that encased them both. He believed what he’d just said. He did love the shepherd. He loved the way he spoke softly and with more patience and joy than anyone he’d ever known. He loved the way he laughed when it escaped and his chest puffed out and shook. He loved the way his deep blue eyes shined when he talked in his Sven voice, and the way they warmed him when they looked into his brown ones. He loved finally having someone to be himself with, and having someone who wouldn’t ask him to be something he wasn’t. He’d said it once. It was too late to try and deny anything, and he couldn’t. So now, he was going to say it again. He gulped, smile widening. “I’m serious. I love you, Ryder.”

He didn’t know what would happen for sure. He didn’t know if he’d misheard that hopeful tone in the shepherd. He didn’t know if this would make things awkward, but at the same time he didn’t care. He loved his best friend. He loved him more than he’d ever loved another human before. He was done with controlling his feelings and keeping them restrained. He trusted Ryder enough to be honest with him.

A small smile seemed to overtake the herdsman as he furrowed his brow at Kristoff. “... like as a friend, or like a--”

“I mean…” Kristoff scrambled to correct himself, knowing exactly how that must’ve sounded. Despite his confidence being so high he struggled to collect his thoughts. “I’m sorry… like I said, I suck at talking about these things. I just was afraid I’d lose you.”

The shepherd smiled, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “Kris, you don’t suck. You’re still learning. And you’re never going to lose me. Just keep talking. Whatever you say, I’ll be fine, okay?” 

“It’s just… we haven’t known each other for that long, but I’m feeling something. It might be the post orgasm thoughts. But ever since we met, I just felt like we clicked, y’know?”

Ryder nodded quickly, a chuckle escaping him. “Yeah, Kris. I think you know we’re friends by this point.”

“I know,” Kristoff mirrored his nod, a hand finding its way to Ryder’s shoulder. “But this isn’t like other friendships I’ve had.”

The shepherd smiled wider. “Well, I mean we did just have sex…”

“No no no not like that.” The ice cutter shook his head. “I mean with how we talk. I’ve never wanted to talk with anyone like I have with you. You make me _ want _ to talk to you. The way you’re so curious about the world, the way you smile at everything, the way you just roll with it… I love it. I love you. You’ve made me feel the best I’ve felt in years.” He realized he was rambling. This wasn’t like him at all. Was it?

He cleared his throat and blinked, gathering his thoughts as Ryder waited patiently, but Kristoff could see something building behind his blue eyes. “So thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Ryder waited another moment, unsure if Kristoff was going to say anything else. His mind was quickly processing everything the ice cutter had said, and he felt his heart warming to the point of melting. The feeling was such a pleasant, familiar feeling. It was nothing like the shepherd had seen from his friend yet-- except when he talked about Anna before he’d tried to propose. It was so messy and awkward and yet so _ Kristoff _. It wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined a declaration of love going in his fantasies, but he definitely felt every word.

Even in the moment, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He’d never had someone do anything like what Kristoff had done for him, with him, or to him. It felt strange, but he could recognize beyond the mindless lust that had led them both there to the hot spring that something had stirred in his heart for a while now.

The iceman was talking again. “And I know that was a lot. And it’s fast. I’m sorry for that too. I’m just feeling something and I thought we were open enough with each other to--”

“Kris.” Ryder held up a hand. “It’s alright, okay? I told you, I’m fine with it. I’m fine with you.” The hand drifted to his shoulder and squeezed the iceman’s calloused hand under his own. “I’m glad you finally told me. See? I told you talking to people works. Now you’ve got me.”

The ice cutter was quiet, a look of amazement passing over his face like the bright rays of the rising sun. His cheeks flushed and his eyes brimmed with a childlike joy as they looked into the shepherd’s gaze without a trace of pain or fear.

He felt his heart skip a couple beats as the shepherd shrugged his shoulder and rubbed Kristoff’s hand with his cheek. 

“What’s that?” The ice cutter blushed. “Is that a ‘yes, you love me?’”

The shepherd gave him a knowing look. “Oh this?” He rubbed his cheek a little harder into the back of his hand. “This is just the amazing way we Northuldrans have of saying yes while showing affection.”

The ice cutter barked with laughter. “You are such a smartass. Y’know that, right?”

“Only when I’ve got someone other than the reindeer to talk to.” The shepherd blushed sheepishly, gently guiding the muscled arm as he planted a small kiss on the ice cutter’s hand.

“Well I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere for a while.” Kristoff mused.

The shepherd sighed. “Then I guess I’m glad I learned your ways of affection.”

Before the ice cutter could respond he felt the other man lean into him with a kiss, his mouth instinctively parting and reciprocating, the salty taste of sweat lingering on their lips. The heat built into the kiss combined with the boiling of the water around them and the thundering of the ice cutter’s heart nearly killed him then and there. He felt his cock stand stiff as Ryder leaned into him further, hands cupping his cheeks as he continued exploring his partner’s mouth.

Kristoff broke it first, pulling away with a slight moan. Ryder didn’t seem phased, and yet the bright look in his eyes dimmed slightly.

“Sorry!” He immediately said.

“What? Ryder, you don’t have to be sorry about--”

“I meant about your… cock.” He finished. “I remember, don’t worry.”

“Oh!” The ice cutter exclaimed, slightly relieved. “Sorry. I guess I recovered quicker than I thought.”

“I appreciate that you’re happy to see me,” Ryder gave him a small grin. “I would take care of it, but I think today was a lot, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah,” Kristoff nodded, despite feeling slightly put out until he realized just how much Ryder had done for him today. “I guess so.”

“Yeah. To be honest, I think we should try to keep ourselves normal for a bit.” He lamented.

“Normal?” Kristoff repeated, his eyebrow raising as a sudden wave of suspicion crashed into him.

Ryder caught on quickly and rolled his eyes, keeping an easy smile. “Kris, you know we’re not normal. I mean like just not horny and humping one another for a bit. At least until we get back to the others.”

Well the shepherd had him there. “Ah. Yeah. You’re probably right there. Yelana probably wouldn’t be too fond of that.”

The herdsman snorted. “If you want to get back in her good graces for this morning, just make sure you apologize. I know she’ll forgive you, but she likes a man who can admit his mistakes. That’s how her husband was.”

“Good to know.” Kristoff pulled himself from the water, sitting at the edge and leaving his legs from the knee down submerged, large feet spread across the spot he’d once sat. “Speaking of, do you think we should get back to the reindeer?”

Ryder hummed, savouring the warmth of the spring. “Yeah. That’d be a good idea. Think they missed us?”

The ice cutter grabbed his undergarments and tugged them back on over his fading hard-on. He stuck his head out from behind the rock, peering back at the clearing. Sven and the other reindeer were minding their business, as far as he could tell from the short distance.

“Nah.” Kristoff could hear Ryder pulling himself out, water splashing along the stones. “Looks like they’re doing just fine on their own.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder for a brief moment before it disappeared, the shepherd having sat down on a nearby rock to get dressed. The ice cutter felt himself smiling at the touch. 

They would be just fine. And so would him and Ryder.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for such a long delay in this chapter-- I've been super busy this past holiday. Hope you enjoy the final chapter!

Their love wasn’t fragile.

Anna wasn’t either. Kristoff knew this better than almost anyone. Given the events over their three years of dating and courtship, he’d had plenty of opportunities to practically write a book on the feisty princess’s various exploits. Every broken bone, every hot headed argument, every soft sigh after a long day-- those were badges of honor to her. She wouldn’t cave under any kind of pressure, because despite her tremendous outbursts of emotion, they came with good intentions. At the end of the day, every action she performed had a deeper purpose cemented in doing what was right. Her latest stunt in deciding to set things right through sacrifice of her kingdom’s physical history was her biggest grandest example yet.

And, as Kristoff knew it would, it turned out to be a modest success.

Of course, he’d taken her apology well. He knew she was sorry for what she’d done the day before. He knew she wouldn’t rest until he knew it with all his heart, because she was Anna. In the end, she’d taken his request to break up amicably. She wasn’t even that shocked by it. She admitted she had a lot to learn about love still, and Kristoff thought the same for himself. They both acknowledged it wasn’t fair to keep each other tied down the way their needs called. In the end, they heeded them, and remained close friends. They both wished each other the best. After all that had happened in the past few days, their love was stronger than ever, as was Kristoff’s desire to stay with the Northuldrans. And Ryder. Especially Ryder.

And, much to his shock and slight horror upon initial hearing, Elsa would also be staying with the Northuldrans. With him and Ryder. Because Anna was queen now.

Well, he was glad he’d dodged that bullet while he still could. The absolute last thing he knew he’d be able to stand was being king-consort of the slowly rebuilding Arendelle. The chaos that had followed the reduced wave of water-- despite princess Elsa’s best efforts-- was still enough that large chunks of the kingdom needed extensive repairs. He could barely handle crowds at balls and parties. Facing an entire kingdom with needs, demands and comfort?

The iceman knew Anna was cut out for it. Her instincts were practically built to lead and cater to her people’s needs. For now, he was more than content with Ryder. 

Or, Ryder and the other Northuldrans who decided to chip in with the rebuilding efforts, at least. Despite his reluctance to return to a place he knew he wasn’t wanted, Ryder and Anna seemed to be in league with each other as to who could convince him to come and help more. Both had their hearts in the right place, and Kristoff loved that about them.

Following the group to the edge of the forest after the fog had parted, Kristoff swore he’d never seen Ryder’s eyes or mouth any wider. The shepherd had been in absolute awe at the endless periwinkle blue that stretched farther and higher than he ever could have imagined by his grandmother’s stories. Everything was so bright and colorful after years of grey, milky skies, the shepherd could barely contain himself, even with Honeymaren there to tease him about it. She was just as amazed as he was. Had the reindeer not been galloping at such speeds he was certain Ryder would have run out into the forest clearing with them as fast as his legs could carry him. Even from the relative distance, his joy was contagious. It was unrestrained. It was natural and real. It was a shock after all the hours of relative calm and composure, but Kristoff figured if he’d never seen the sky before he would have a similar reaction to his shepherd. Besides, despite the shock, he still loved it and the man beneath it all the same.

If the sky to Ryder was what ice was to Kristoff, so be it. So long as the man was happy.

And of course, he should’ve known the sky was the least of what Ryder wanted to discover. All miles of sky in the world were nothing without something to be held aloft over, and Arendelle-- even in its damaged state-- was still a marvel to everyone, especially the shepherd and his sister. Despite the lack of comfort for the majority of the natives, they welcomed all their new guests with open arms. Ryder had opted to stay in the royal stables with Kristoff. After clearing out the soaked hay and lighting a few lamps and fires, they were as comfortable as they ever would have been anywhere else on the planet.

And it was relatively private-- an unforeseen advantage in keeping each other warm despite the quickening haste of winter’s embrace.

Throughout the rebuilding process, Kristoff kept a close eye hovering dutifully between Ryder as he learned to work different tools, and the gradually narrowing distance between princess Elsa and his lover’s sister. He also pitched in himself whenever needed, especially seeing as Arendelle still needed ice deliveries in the aftermath of the disaster.

In the end, he wasn’t sad to leave the kingdom behind. Arendelle in its new state was more beautiful and wealthy than it had ever been before. A modern marvel by anyone’s standards, and the ice cutter could tell the new queen was all too happy to see her new kingdom was adapting nicely to the changes, her people’s relationship with the Northuldrans was better than anyone ever could have hoped. Its glory may have been restored, but Kristoff knew deep down neither him nor Ryder would ever be satisfied in such a refined world.

A fact made all the more clear when they kept the reindeer out late, backs on the ground by the shepherds usual rock. Both pairs of eyes were trained up at the stars.

“You know,” Ryder started. “I never realized how many of them there are out there.”

These are the things Kristoff hears almost constantly in living with Ryder. Moments of absolute clarity and appreciation are never far from the man he loves. 

“I never did either.” Kristoff agreed. “I don’t think a lot of people ever do.”

“I wonder if Anna sees the same stars down in Arendelle.” The shepherd mused. The ice cutter hummed.

“Yeah,” He nodded. “She does. We used to sit up on the castle roof sometimes and watch the stars too. Only problem was it was kinda hard to see with all the lights on at night. Out here it’s a lot easier to see.”

“Well, next time she’s up here we should take her out here.” Ryder rolled over to look at the iceman. “You think she’d like that?”

Kristoff smiled over at Ryder and adjusted his hands behind his head. “Are you kidding? She’s Anna. Give her something to look at and she’ll look at it for hours. She’d love it out here.”

“I know Elsa does. Honeymaren won’t admit it to me, but I can see the way she looks at her. They’re not as out and about as we are with things, I guess.”

The ice cutter grunted. “That’s up to them to decide. They do make a cute couple though.”

Ryder chuckled and rolled back over to see the sky again. It was dazzling and awake as always. “I know, right? I never thought I’d see her this happy again… Maybe we should invite them out here one of these nights. Do a double date, you know?”

He felt his eyes rolling but he laughed. This sounded like a Ryder kind of plan. “You really think Elsa would agree to that?”

“Well Honeymaren can be persuasive, especially when she wants something.”

Kristoff chuckled again and reached over to Ryder, hand gently petting his arm. “Well then let’s leave the idea with her for now and enjoy tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan, right Sven?” The shepherd had a mischievous grin, knowing the reindeer were off someplace, safe and warm with the village.

The ice cutter smiled warmly at his lover, planting a kiss on his cheek. No response was needed. Both men happily enjoyed their time together, right where they truly belonged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading! I hope ya'll enjoyed this and perhaps in the future I'll write some more of these two dorks :)


End file.
